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Former educator Peter Doyles dies at 81

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In Venice: Peter and Lynn Doyles enjoyed more than 40 years or married life.

A well known educator at several Bermudian schools and the Bermuda Insurance Institute (BII), has passed away at the age of 81.Peter Doyles, originally from Lincolnshire in England, left his hometown of New Holland at the age of 18 to do national service.Following a stint in Germany he headed off to Leeds University to study mathematics and physical education, then moved to Bermuda and became a well known veteran teacher to thousands of pupils.Mr Doyles then went to Northlands Secondary in 1974 as school principal, where he stayed for about ten years. He moved on to Bermuda College in 1982 to head adult and continuing education.He later joined the BII in 1994, as director of education and training.He retired at the age of 72, and continued to reside in Bermuda with his wife, Lynn Doyle.In his younger years, Mr Doyles enjoyed five summers of diving with Teddy Tucker and the Smithsonian Institution, and working on the reconstruction and measuring of wrecks.He also had a passion for golf. Mrs Lynn Doyles remembered how she met her husband.“We were both playing badminton, and I decided it was time to play with somebody better, so I went over and asked him to play with me and he said ‘any time’ and it was funny — that was the kind of humour he has.“We just clicked and were happily married over 40 years,” she said. “It’s hard to put it into words, we were very close.”Mrs Doyle said her family is “taking it pretty well” and that they “knew he was hurting, wasn’t going to get any better and it got to the point where he wanted to go”.She explained Mr Doyle had suffered with heart troubles, two artificial hips, and several falls.“He had a fall about ten days before he died and refused to go to the hospital,” she said.Mr Doyle eventually succumbed to his injuries in his Southampton home, while his wife and nurse were tending to him.His sons Steven and Michael Landis admired his personality and cherished their relationship with him.“He was someone I respected tremendously,” Steve said. “He was the funniest and the smartest man I knew.“He was a very principled man, intelligent man who loved everybody. You could always count on him. It is a great loss.”Michael Landis added: “I have a vision of him with a big smile and easy laugh, and being set free from the confines of his earthly body. He will be sorely missed.”Mr Doyle is survived by his wife, his daughter Elaine Watkinson, and sons Michael and Steven Landis and Graham Doyle, 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Well known educator: Peter Doyles and his wife Lynn. Mr Doyles has died at 81.