John O’Boyle, 86, mail carrier was a born storyteller
August 10, 2023
John J. O’Boyle of Pawleys Island, a retired postal worker who had a passion for writing, died July 19. He was 86.
He was born March 28, 1937, in Cleveland, the son of John and Mary O’Boyle. After graduating high school, John served in the Marine Corps before starting a career with the U.S. Postal Service.
He married his wife Nancy in 1959. They were married for 62 years until her death in 2021.
They raised their four children in Parma, Ohio. While working and raising a family, Mr. O’Boyle went on to complete his bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University. After retirement, the couple built their dream house in Pawleys Island.
In addition to sitting on the porch with his wife (and a cigar) and golfing, Mr. O’Boyle dedicated time in retirement to his true passion: writing.
His first book, “Thorns in Acadia,” emerged from his degree work at Cleveland State.
After moving to Pawleys Island, he expanded some short story ideas he had 15 to 20 years earlier into a novel, “Linking Verbs,” that followed the lives of five women from the Vietnam era to the mid-1980s when they return to Pawleys Island for a reunion. He published it in 2000.
He wrote another novel, “No Stones for the Poet,” that was set in Ireland. Mr. O’Boyle also wrote plays. He was remembered as a born storyteller.
He was known for passing on many words of wisdom to those he loved, a favorite among them, “You gotta pull your own wagon.”
He is survived by his children John O’Boyle (Michelle), James O’Boyle (Robin), Catherine Bartl and Karen O’Boyle; seven grandchildren Kristen (Dennis), Brian (Adrien), Tori (Andy), Anna, Maya, Amber (Nick) and Kyle; and six great-grandchildren Nolan, Reagan, Colton, Riley, Otto and Scott.
In addition to his wife, his sisters Mary, Nora and Trudy died before him, as did a son-in-law, David Bartl.
His family will honor him with a Mass at 11 a.m. Saturday at Precious Blood of Christ Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked you to treat a loved one to dinner and leave a generous tip. That was the John O’Boyle way.
