Virgil Doyle

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Virgil Lee Doyle, 81, of Amarillo, Texas, on Thursday, August 3rd, 2023, at Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Home.

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Virgil was born to father James Lafayette Doyle and mother Ella Mae in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he eventually attended college at Colorado State University graduating with a bachelor’s degree in zoology.

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After graduation, Virgil enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served as an Infantry Officer, and saw combat as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart. After serving, he spent the majority of his civilian career as a plant manager at both Micro Beef Technologies in Amarillo and at his son Rodney’s company, Benchmark, in Dallas.

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Virgil was a lover of all animals, from the dairy cows on his family farm as a child to his pet monkey in Vietnam to the wildlife he would feed and watch to the various dogs, cats, and birds he owned throughout his life. He also loved to work on miniatures and models ranging from cars to ships to trains and was an avid model railroader and long-time member of the Amarillo Railroad Museum where he will be sorely missed.

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Virgil was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his sister Carol Doyle, his son Rodney Doyle and wife April, his daughter Rhonda Erb and husband Tim, his daughter Robin McFarland and husband Todd, his son Darren Doyle and wife Sharon, 16 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

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A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., August 19, 2023, at Lighthouse Funeral Home Chapel, 3707 Wolflin Ave., in Amarillo, Texas. Guests are welcome. Following the memorial service (date to be determined), Virgil will be buried in Fort Collins, Colorado, in a family plot next to his parents.