Evelyn Augusta Boyle, 87, a lifelong resident of River Grove whose family settled the area and whose late husband served as the town’s mayor for two terms, died Friday, Nov. 1, of Alzheimer’s disease in Oakton Pavilion in Des Plaines. Mrs. Boyle, born Evelyn Giertz, told her family stories about her grandfather, Theodore Giertz, who as a young immigrant from Germany worked for the chief of the Potawatomi, Che-Che Pinqua, whose land included areas along the Des Plaines River. Her grandfather was in charge of feeding and caring for the chief’s horses, said her son, Kelvin Boyle. Mrs. Boyle met her husband, Stanley Boyle, in grade school in River Grove, and they went to school together through high school and married in 1938, said her son. Though never elected to political office herself, Mrs. Boyle helped her husband throughout his time in town politics, including his terms as River Grove mayor. When her son and daughter had their own children, she always found time for them, said her grandson, Bradley Boyle. “Whenever anyone came over to her house, she always made sure she took care of them,” Bradley Boyle said. “Someone had once said that she was a good dresser. But for me, Gramma Boyle always wore an apron.” Mrs. Boyle always made staying close to her family a priority, making certain that even after she and her husband retired and spent winters in Florida, that they never left the Midwest before Christmas and always returned before Easter, her grandson said. Other survivors include a daughter, Corinne Boyle-Mullally, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Services have been held.
