Politics & Government

Obituary: Former Freehold Mayor Bill Boyle Dies at 88

Visiting hours will be held on Monday, April 30 at the Higgins Memorial Home from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.

Judge James William ( Bill ) Boyle, 88 died on April 26 at . He was surrounded by his three children, six grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.

He graduated and class of 1942, where he was a class officer all four years, a member of the boy’s varsity basketball team and the track and field team.

When he graduated he worked as a mail clerk for the FBI in Washingotn D.C., for one year, while attending night school at George Washington University.

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During WWII, he entered the U.S. Air Force. He was assigned to the North Atlantic Unit Division Air Transport Command as a Sergeant. He received the American Service Medal, the European-African Middle Eastern Service Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal.

After the war, he married Gloria DeSarno of Asbury Park, and graduated from Rutgers University and Rutgers Law School. He became a Special Agent of the F.B.I. and served in the Chicago, Cleveland, Memphis, and NYC offices for four years. He passed the D.C. and N.J. Bar Exams and began practicing law in Freehold with attorneys Jerry Sokol and Alexander Levchuk in 1954.

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In 1955, he became Magistrate Judge of Allentown and Upper Freehold Township Municipal Court; then Magistrate of . He was the Municipal Attorney for Freehold and Manalapan Township.

Boyle was Mayor of Freehold for nine years and Monmouth County Surrogate for five years. He was a Judge of State Workers Compensation for thirteen years until his retirement in 2000.

Boyle was also a member of the former Freehold and Freehold Township Lions Clubs; A member of the Freehold Regional Board of Education; ; St. Rose of Lima Knights of Columbus  Fourth Degree, American Legion, Veterans  of Foreign Wars; Monmouth County Bar Association, N.J.  Bar Association, and President of Freehold Borough Republican Club.

Judge Boyle was a member of the Deal Golf and Country Club, where he served on several committees, and the Battleground Country Club.

Judge Boyle was married for sixty-four years to Gloria DeSarno. He was predeceased by his parents Joseph and Nellie Boyle of Freehold, his three sisters, Loretta Wilson, Helen Heiser, and Mary Patricia ( Patti ) Dorey, his two brothers, Joseph ( Gene ) and George Boyle, and his loving wife, Gloria.

He is survived by his sons, William Joseph and his wife, Gail, of Basking Ridge, Patrick James and his wife, Joanne, of Freehold; a  daughter Kathleen Diane Palkovic and husband, Ivan, of Maryland; grandchildren, Ivan Palkovic, Patrick Palkovic, Joseph Palkovic, Marie  Boyle, Shannon Boyle, and Caroline Boyle, great grandchildren, Rose Palkovic,  Perla Palkovic, Eleanor Palkovic, Seth Palkoic, and Nico Palkovic.

Visiting hours will be held on Monday, April 30 at the from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. at .    

Memorial donation to the would be appreciated.

Click here to leave condolences on the Higgins Memorial Web site.

Share your favorite memory of this imporant Freehold figure in the comments section below on this page.


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