Robert Thomas Boyle Jr.

Robert Thomas Boyle Jr., a resident of Pleasanton, died Aug. 3 after a two-month battle with liver cancer. He was 59.

From his early years to his last days, those who knew him witnessed a lifelong testament of devoted love: love of nature, love of work, love of friends, love of family and love of God.

Born in Fresno, California on April 10, 1959, Boyle was the eldest of five children to Judith Boyle and Robert Boyle Sr. As a young boy, he enjoyed visiting his grandparents’ ranch in Kneeland, California to wander among the groves of redwood trees with his siblings. He loved sports and played varsity soccer, but there was nothing more he loved than baseball. A lifelong baseball fan, with a special place in his heart for his beloved Oakland A’s, Boyle played little league as a child, varsity baseball in high school and softball as an adult. Ever the lover of history -- especially military history -- he recently took a particularly meaningful trip to Oahu to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor with his father. He also was an avid coin collector and an active member of the Livermore Coin Club.

His passion and zeal for life extended well beyond hobbies. Boyle poured equal commitment and enthusiasm into his academics, music and work. He graduated from Granada High School in 1977, where he played the French horn in both the marching band and jazz band. He went on to the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with a bachelor’s  degree in mechanical engineering in 1982. For 31 years, Boyle worked as a mechanical design engineer, spending 25 of those years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Throughout his childhood, adolescence and adulthood, Boyle was always hand-in-hand with the love of his life, Terri. They married in 1982, after having met as children in the fifth grade. They were an inseparable pair, equally devoted to each other as they were devoted to others in service. Together, they shared their love of animals, especially their cat Hanako -- the “dog-cat” always found perched on Boyle’s stomach. They traveled the world together, from Japan to New Zealand, but most often to their favorite island, Kauai. He enjoyed exploring new worlds almost as much as he loved snapping photos.

If you knew Boyle, you knew a man of uncompromising faith, who saw, loved and embraced people for who they were at their core. A man of deep generosity and grace, he will be missed by all whose lives he touched.

Boyle is survived by his wife of 36 years, Maria Theresa (Terri) Boyle, née Lara, of Pleasanton, his parents, and siblings: Stephen Boyle of Littleton, Colorado; Bryan Boyle of Benicia, California; Laurie Correa, née Boyle, of Livermore; and Edward Boyle of Marysville, California; and their families.

Boyle also is survived by his mother-in-law, Luz Lara of Livermore and his wife’s siblings, Joe Lara of Apex, North Carolina; Rick Lara of San Francisco; Gene Lara of Newark, Deleware; and Charlie Lara of Livermore, and their families. He also is survived by 14 nieces and nephews.

Services were recently held.