Obituary of Nancy Millae Doyle Lee
Lee, Nancy Doyle, age 86, died July 11, 2018, in Naples, FL. She passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded
by her loving children and devoted husband, after a long illness. Nancy is survived by her loving husband
Walter Lee; children Roger Sullivan (Samela Ireland); Lee Ann Sullivan; Judith Sullivan (William Greeley,
Jr.) Amy D. Sullivan (Erin Janssens); step‐daughters Deborah Schuh (Dana Schuh) and Patricia Van Dieren
(Jack Van Dieren); brother Richard Doyle (Nancy Doyle); sisters Deborah Doyle and Susan Johnson;
grandsons Adam Hill (Piper Klemm), Colin Hill (Artemis Roehrig); great‐granddaughters Ariadne and
Demetria Hill; family friend, Char Sabin; and many more nieces, nephews and extended family. She was
predeceased by her daughter Jane Sullivan (age 2); parents Alice Mulchahy Doyle and Roger T. Doyle;
stepmother Anne Doyle; brother Roger T. Doyle, Jr, and sister-in-law Paula Doyle.
Nancy grew up in Jamaica Plain in an Irish‐American family with ties to the Boston political scene that
influenced her lifelong interest in politics. She honed her driving skills as a teenager, chauffeuring her father
on house calls for his medical practice in Mission Hill, learning every back road and shortcut in Boston.
The family summered at their beachside home in Humarock, MA, where she continued to make an annual
trek when visiting family in the Boston area. Nancy graduated from Boston Latin School; received her BA
from Wheaton College (1954) in Norton, MA, with honors from the Department of Economics; and was an
active member of her alumni club, serving as class officer from 1974 to 1979. She continued her lifelong
interest in the economy and had a keen interest in the stock market. She joined John Hancock Insurance
Company in 1978 as a systems analyst and later an IT specialist. She was a true maverick as a woman in
this burgeoning field until her retirement in 1996. She never stopped learning about technology –texting
her children and video‐sharing with her beloved great‐granddaughters.
Nancy and her first husband Philip Sullivan raised four children whom she loved and guided to become the
thoughtful adults they are today. She met her husband, Walter Lee, at Longwood Cricket Club. Their
marriage in 1987 brought two wonderful step-daughters, Debbie and Patty, into her life. Nancy and Walter
shared a love of tennis, golf, bridge, and socializing with their many friends in Wellesley, Brookline, and
Naples. She was a member of Longwood Cricket Club, Naples Bath and Tennis Club, Kensington Golf and
Tennis Club, and Naples Grande. Nancy was a lifelong fan of the New England Patriots, and friends often
gathered at their home in Naples to watch the games.
All will remember her sense of humor, love of her children, organizational finesse and loyalty to her friends.
She was generous to all and inspired us with her love of life. She said always leave a place better than you
found it. And she did leave the world a better place for all of us.
Her ashes will be interned beside her beloved daughter Jane Sullivan at Holyhood Cemetery, Chestnut Hill,
MA, in a graveside ceremony on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at 3:00 PM. Following the internment, a
celebration of life will be held at the Longwood Cricket Club from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Friends and family
are welcome. A service in Naples is planned for sometime in October. In lieu of flowers, donations may
be made in Nancy’s honor to Wheaton College, Norton, MA (https://wheatoncollege.edu/giving/ways‐togive/).