William J. Boyle, a former Catholic priest who was one of the first to receive papal permission to leave the priesthood and marry in the church, died Sunday at age 82.
He died of complications from several illnesses, said his son-in-law Jeff McCracken.
Ordained in 1951, Mr. Boyle spent 17 years as a priest in the San Francisco Archdiocese. He also was a chaplain at Stanford Hospital and at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose.
Besides spiritual guidance, parishioners turned to him for advice on family, marriage and life issues. Tall and athletic, he organized clubs for teenagers and connected easily with young people during outings of bowling, skiing and mountain hiking.
"He was a very good priest," said retired Sacramento Bishop Francis Quinn, who knew him as a young seminarian. "He was very much loved by his parishioners. He was very outgoing and often likened in physical appearance to Gregory Peck."
Counseling others opened Mr. Boyle's eyes to the joys of marriage and rearing children, family and friends said. After meeting and falling in love with Wanda Sturla, a widow with four children, he petitioned and received a papal dispensation to leave the active priesthood.
The couple were married in the church in 1969, suddenly transforming the former celibate priest into a husband and father of teenagers.
"It was a little difficult," said Monsignor Francis Pellegrino, a longtime friend. "But William had always been pastoral and caring. He helped raise her children and was a very good husband."
Mr. Boyle earned a master's degree in psychology at San Jose State and practiced as a licensed marriage and family therapist. He also worked at Bay Area hospitals until the couple moved to the Sacramento area in 1989.
Born in 1926, William Jonah Boyle was the second of four sons reared by a single mother in San Francisco. He began studying for the priesthood in high school and graduated from St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park.
"From his earliest days, he wanted to be a priest," said his brother Vincent. "He was always devout and serious."
Mr. Boyle and his wife settled in Folsom, where he continued counseling patients. He volunteered at Divine Savior Catholic Church in Orangevale as a counselor and Eucharistic minister.
He was a lifelong fan of the San Francisco 49ers and Giants and a top bridge player. He played golf at Pebble Beach and enjoyed trips to Lake Tahoe with his wife.
He maintained longtime friendships with priests and former parishioners in the Bay Area. He cared deeply about others and considered returning to the clergy after his wife died in 2007, friends said.
"He would have loved to have been married and a priest," his brother said. "But even after marrying, he was still a priest."
Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.
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