Genevieve Darwish Boyle

Genevieve Darwish Boyle, 99 years and 10 months, of Ottawa, died Saturday, August 16, 2025 at OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital in Ottawa.

Mass of Christian burial will be on Friday, August 22, 2025 at 11:30 A.M. at St. Columba Catholic Church 122 W. Washington St., Ottawa.

Burial will be in St. Columba Cemetery following Mass.

Visitation will be on Thursday, August 21, 2025 from 4:00 - 8:00 P.M. at the Ottawa Funeral Home located at 1111 LaSalle St., Ottawa, IL with liturgical prayers during visitation. Genevieve was born October 6, 1925, in Spring Valley, Illinois to William and Edith (Abbott) Darwish. She married John J. Boyle on Labor Day, September 4, 1950, at St. Columba Church in Ottawa. They were married by Monsignor Francis A. Cleary. She was a 1943 graduate of Hall Township High School in Spring Valley. After high school, Genevieve graduated from Ryburn King Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Ottawa. She then went on for post-graduate studies in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was a registered nurse at Ryburn King Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Milwaukee, St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley, and Community Hospital of Ottawa. Genevieve retired from nursing in January, 1999, after a career spanning 55 years. After retiring, she was a volunteer at OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital in the Emergency Room. She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Church and its Altar and Rosary Society. She also was a member of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Retirees #75, charter member of Tri-County Nurses Association, CHO Volunteer in Obstetrics department, and American Association of Retired Persons and was an American Red Cross nurse. Her Catholic faith was central to her life and a constant source of strength and guidance. Over the decades, area mothers would recognize her as their OB nurse, and they would stop her on the street to talk.

She and her family enjoyed many summer vacations to Florida. In later years, she and her husband enjoyed many fall trips to Las Vegas. She is survived by two daughters, Patricia (Lester) Guthrie and Laureen (William) Buinickas; six grandchildren, Christopher (Sarah) Guthrie, Daniel (Caitlin) Guthrie, Elizabeth (Curt) Perschnick, Katherine (Johnny) Fesolai, Marissa and Michelle Buinickas; and seven great-grandchildren, Abigail, Samantha, Grace, Camdyn, Weston, Naomi Genevieve, and Joseph.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John, who died on October 29, 2002, her parents, three brothers, Joseph, Michael, and Louis Darwish; two sisters, Madeline Kaleefey and Dorothy Darwish; and two aunts, Mary and Frieda Darwish; several nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers will be Daniel Guthrie, Curt Perschnick, Elizabeth Perschnick, Johnny Fesolai, Marissa Buinickas, and Michelle Buinickas.

For additional information 815/433-0300 or www.ottawafuneralhome.com