Connie Delores Williams Boyle

Connie Delores Williams Boyle transitioned on Friday, April 19, 2024, leaving behind a towering and enduring legacy. Born on May 23, 1934, in the cradle of segregation in Covington, Louisiana, Connie emerged radiantly, with her spirit intact and her path illuminated by the very trials meant to confine her. Raised in the Black Methodist Church, where the hymns ascended like hopeful prayers, Connie's formidable intellect was apparent early on. She graduated as the valedictorian from her segregated high school—a testament to a mind unbounded by the constraints around her. At Dillard University, where she majored in English on a partial scholarship, Connie's resilience shone as brightly as her intellect. She served as an editor for both the University’s newspaper and the University’s yearbook, roles that demonstrated her superior writing acumen and astute leadership. Living off-campus with her older sister, Vivian, due to limited resources, she put herself through college by working as a short-order cook at various diners and restaurants, which honed her outstanding culinary skills. Connie also worked as a teaching assistant in the English Department, and because of an extraordinary work ethic and a deep commitment to excellence, Connie graduated cum laude in 1955. After her graduation from Dillard University, Connie’s passion for English led her to the classroom where she served as an educator at Samuel J. Green School for almost 30 years, teaching 8th and 9th grades. There, she did not merely teach English and Louisiana history; she breathed life into prose and poetry for her students. Connie shared her perfect diction with her students by teaching speech and drama, and her students were able to recite poems from memory and perform flawlessly in plays, expanding her students’ imaginations and exposing them to worlds different than their own. Her classrooms were arenas of intellect and empowerment, where debate was as much about dignity, respect, and confidence, as dialogue. Never straying from the frontlines of education and notwithstanding her formidable leadership skills, Connie chose the trenches over administration, dedicating her life to the empowerment of Black children through education. Her belief in the transformative power of knowledge was rivaled only by her love for her family. Married to Ernest Boyle, Jr. for almost 62 years, she found joy and strength in their shared journey, raising two children, Wardell and Kim, with an unyielding devotion to family and community values. Connie Boyle’s life was a symphony of courage, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the future—a tapestry woven with the threads of spirituality, family, community, and an enduring love for her people. Her legacy, marked by her two children, three grandchildren, one great grandchild, and the countless students who found in her both a mentor and a mirror, reflects a life lived with monumental grace, selflessness and indomitable purpose. Connie Boyle’s Celebration of Love and Life will be held under the soaring ceilings of Lawless Chapel at her alma mater, Dillard University, 2601 Gentilly Blvd. on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will begin at 12:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the Boyle family asks that you consider honoring Connie's memory with a contribution to the Ernest and Connie Boyle scholarship fund at her beloved Dillard. Checks should be made payable to Dillard University: (In memo section, please note: The Ernest and Connie Boyle Scholarship Fund) Dillard University Office of Development, 2601 Gentilly Boulevard New Orleans, LA 70122. Interment: Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Arrangements by D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Avenue. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the guestbook.