Kathleen Markert Doyle

Kathleen Markert Doyle, 53, of 435 East 86th Street Apt 1B, New York, New York, passed on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, in New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Kathleen was born in New Hyde Park on August 30, 1971, to Anthony Markert and Maureen Bednar Doyle. She was an only child and was preceded in death by several uncles and aunts. Her parents, three aunts, and numerous cousins survive her.

Kathleen attended Good Counsel Academy in White Plains for elementary and high school, taught by the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. She earned both a Baccalaureate and a Master's degree at New York University. She completed her doctoral course work at the Courant Institute of Mathematics at NYU, where she studied Advanced Differential Equations with the recently deceased Professor Peter Lax, a most renowned mathematician. Ultimately, she earned her PhD at Teachers College, Columbia University. May 5th, 2025, marked the 20th Anniversary of her PhD. Her dissertation focused on the history of mathematics, for which she read original documents in at least three languages. She was extremely fond of her two advisors at Columbia, Drs. Vogeli and Pollak, who are also renowned mathematicians. She taught Mathematics for many years, initially at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and then at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. She was passionate about teaching and particularly cared about helping disadvantaged students. She chaired Curriculum committees on both the college-wide and departmental levels. She earned the academic rank of Associate Professor and was fully tenured.

Kathleen had many hobbies, starting with her childhood fascination with all kinds of puzzles like jigsaws and Rubik's cubes. She was an accomplished needlewoman and produced many beautiful needlepoints and knitted items like sweaters, socks, mittens, gloves, and scarves. She donated many to children in underdeveloped countries and kept a large collage of their photos in her college office with grateful smiles. She joined women's groups who got together to knit and share creative tricks. On Tuesdays, they all wore tiaras for Tiara Tuesday. She mentored a knitting club at Hostos Community College, where students often were just learning the basics of knitting. Gardening captivated her for many years, and she tried to cultivate potted plants on the tiny balcony of her NYC coop apartment. The latter setting, however, was not nearly as lush as the big, beautiful tulips, bleeding hearts, and many other flowers she grew back home in White Plains. She also loved to bake cookies, brownies, and birthday cakes, but wasn't fond of cooking or cleaning up.

Cats were her favorite pets, and she had a long succession of them. Some cats lived with her in pairs, some were solo acts, but a common characteristic was that she gave almost all of them mythological names like Cupid & Psyche, Apollo, and her last cats, Adonis & Athena. LadyVi stood out in the long list of cats because she was particularly affectionate, remarkably intelligent, and lived a long, active, indoor-outdoor life. Initially, Kathy thought this cat was exceptionally shy, hence the shy violet name, which actually proved to be a misnomer.

Names mattered to Kathleen, and she followed her mother's break with tradition. Although she never married, she believed women should not change their names when they marry. She believed that both parents should be acknowledged, with one's gender determining the middle and last name. Women's rights advocacy was a strong theme throughout her life. She knitted many pink "cat" hats worn in political protest, although she could not personally attend that famous rally in Washington.

Unfortunately, for about the last 12-15 years of her life, Kathleen suffered from an autoimmune arthritis-like condition that was extremely difficult to diagnose and impossible to treat. She lived with chronic pain, mostly in her joints and tendons. It was unclear if that condition also contributed to other health problems, such as a torn Achilles tendon, a ruptured cervical disk, and two bouts of breast cancer treated with radiation. She endured serious side effects from the many medication trials. None of them helped; most came with nasty side effects. Traveling became very difficult for her, and her world began to shrink. Remarkably, she could continue working but often had to limit her teaching to online.

For the past two years, there was a silver lining in our family's health concerns. Kathy's Dad, Tony, had to undergo treatment for a long-standing condition, which necessitated his traveling into Manhattan at least monthly. After years of feeling cut off, first because of her unpredictable health challenges, then by COVID, Kathy was able to plan for and meet up with Tony. After his treatment, they went out to lunch and spent the day exploring much of Manhattan. Talk about quality father-daughter time! Her favorite site to visit was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kathy lived near the museum and became a member to attend the members-only openings of new exhibitions. It became evident that she could easily have considered becoming a paid docent there if she wanted a second career.

We thank you all for loving and supporting our beloved Kathleen and for your friendship.

Arrangements for her funeral are as follows:

A Viewing will be held on Sunday, June 15th (Father's Day) from 2-6 PM with a prayer service at PM in the Ballard-Durand Funeral Home, 21 West Stevens Ave., Hawthorne, NY. 10532.

The Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, June 16th @ 10 AM in Queen of Peace Chapel in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, with Fr. Chris Monturo officiating. Interment will follow there.

In lieu of flowers, consider making a memorial contribution to the Sisters of the Divine Compassion @ 52 North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603 914 798.1140 or rdcadvancement@divinecompassion.org (link sends e-mail). Or consider contributing to the ASPCA or any local animal shelter.