With great sadness, we announce the sudden passing of Peggy (Dirrane Prendergast) Doyle, 65.
Peggy was born in Boston on September 11, 1960. She was the third of four children, and only daughter, of Mary (Thrift) Dirrane and Michael Dirrane, both of whom have preceded Peggy in death. She is, however, survived by her three brothers, Michael Dirrane, James Dirrane, and Stephen Dirrane. Peggy was raised in Watertown, living on North Beacon Street by Perkins, and going to school at St. Pat’s, making memories and forging friendships that have lasted a lifetime, including Kathy (McNicholas) Stevens, her lifelong partner in crime and one of the founding Lils. Peggy always shared stories and memories of these times through tears of laughter, making those around her laugh, even if they were completely clueless as to the people and places involved in the story. Her joy and laughter was infectious and could brighten any room she was in.
When Peggy left home, she enrolled in the Youville Hospital Nursing Program. At Youville, Peggy found her passion for nursing, and even more importantly, caretaking. She eventually went on to spend over 30 years working as a nurse at what is currently known as Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley in North Billerica until her retirement in 2023. Nursing came easily to Peggy because of her kindness and compassion; she truly cared about the patients and wanted the best for them. Even outside of work and when she retired, Peggy cared for others, including each of her parents in their final years. Peggy’s love of nursing, and Life Care in particular, was bolstered by the people she worked with over the years, some of whom ended up becoming her closest friends and confidants, including Gretchen Sweeney Bramanti, and Priya Mittal. Over the years, Peggy was able to work closely with many different people, but one thing always remained the same, whenever Peggy was around, laughter and music could almost always be heard from halfway down the hallway.
Peggy’s other passion was her children, Eden Dirrane Prendergast and Martin Raymond Prendergast III. Peggy raised her children in Billerica, with the late Martin “Ray” R. Prendergast, Jr. Once her children were born, Peggy was an ever present figure in their lives, attending every game, dance recital, school performance, and so on. She was so proud of every single accomplishment, no matter how big or small, from learning to tie their shoes to when Eden graduated from law school and passed the Massachusetts Bar or when Martin graduated from the Boston Police Academy and fulfilled his dream of becoming a Boston Police Officer. Peggy always wanted her children to know how much she loved them and how much joy they brought to her life. She was even happier as her kids aged to continue to be part of their lives, by forging equally strong relationships with Eden’s partner Jeremy Weiland, and Martin’s fiancee, Elizabeth “Liz” Brown. Peggy loved hearing about Eden and Jeremy building their dream life and home on the water and looked forward to spending more time there making memories with the whole family. Peggy was also looking forward to Martin and Liz’s upcoming wedding and the grandkids she hoped would soon follow for her to love and cherish.
As for love, Peggy was preceded in death by her true love, James “Jim” L. Doyle, Jr.. Peggy and Jim were two halves of a whole, spending their whole lives searching for each other without even realizing it until they found one another. When Peggy was with Jim, she was the happiest, most carefree version of herself, allowing herself to be who she truly was without any limitations. She was adventurous, riding motorcycles and traveling in the desert; she was whimsical, wearing brighter and brighter colors and patterns and expanding her shoe collection into wilder and more exotic patterns and styles; and most importantly, she was happy and complete.
In addition to finding her other half in Jim, in choosing to share her life with him, Peggy gained two daughters, Jennifer Doyle and Becky Sanders. Through Jennifer, Peggy gained her first grandson, Ryan Doyle. Through Becky, Peggy gained a son-in-law, Lee Sanders, and even more grandchildren, Carig Sanders, Kennedy (Sanders) Lambrecht, and her wife Katherine “Kat” Lambrecht. Peggy had so much love and pride for her children and grandchildren, spending time every Saturday morning on a Zoom call with them in addition to sometimes daily text messages and phone calls. She constantly talked about all of their adventures and accomplishments to anyone who would listen.
Peggy lived a full and rich life, surrounded by friends and family who loved her and will miss her. Her cherished friend Cayleigh Baillargeon who spent so much time with Peggy and her family, including attending nearly every family gathering and holiday since she was 10. Peggy was also deeply loved by her neighbors in Billerica, some of whom have been by her side for more than 40 years. All of Peggy’s extended family, both here in the United States in Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona, New York, and Texas, as well as those in Ireland, all of whom have shared warm memories of their time with her. Her friends, both near and far, new and old, who brought joy to her life and who were lucky enough to experience the kindness and light that Peggy brought to this world.
We invite all of you to join us in celebrating Peggy’s life on February 7, 2026 from 3pm-7pm at the Lexington Elks Lodge (959 Waltham St, Lexington, MA 02421). A virtual attendance option will be provided upon request. In the meantime, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Lowell Humane Society or the Billerica Food Pantry, where Peggy volunteered her time over the last few years.
Previous Events
Celebration of Life
7
Feb
959 Waltham St.
Lexington , MA 02421
