Martha Boyle

Martha “Meta” Boyle, surrounded by the love of her family, passed away peacefully and into the arms of God on October 2, 2025.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate her life at the Funeral Mass on October 9, 10 AM at St. Thomas the Apostle R.C. Church, 60 Byrd Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 340 Ridge Road, North Arlington, NJ.

She is predeceased by her beloved parents, James and Sadie Burns, her sister Anne Lynch, and her beloved husband of 62 years, Michael “Brendan” Boyle.

Born in Belfast, Ireland, Meta was a 58-year resident of Bloomfield, NJ, who leaves behind a brokenhearted family and a beautiful legacy. These include her children: Patricia Boyle, Michael Boyle (Jackie), Brenda McDonnell (Jim), and Aileen Boyle Delaney (John); her six grandchildren: Tara Caroselli (Chris), Brittany Gallagher (Dan), John Boyle, Brian McDonnell, Brendan Delaney, and Sadie Delaney; and her five great grandchildren: Owen, Patrick, Matthew, Kiera, and Audrey.

Her devotion to family, friends, and her community at St. Thomas will never be forgotten.

In lieu of flowers, kindly make a donation in Martha M. Boyle's memory to either New Beginnings for Tomorrow (https://www.nb4t.org/fundraisers-donations), a day program of excellence for the disabled where her grandson Brian McDonnell receives support, or to the legacy fund at St Thomas to help repair the choir loft, organ, and bell towers. https://www.stachurchbloomfield.org/legacy

Martha “Meta” Burns Boyle's story was almost cinematic—remarkable in every way, and unforgettable to those who loved her.

She was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1931, in an age when lamplighters still walked the streets at dusk. Her childhood was happy until a German bomb dropped at the end of her road, and brought WW II to her doorstep. Sent to the countryside for safety, Meta spent two years away from Belfast, where she developed a lifelong distaste for goat's milk and an enduring appreciation for city life.

Her gift for singing appeared early. Recognizing her promise, Meta's parents James and Sadie did extra work to pay for lessons. From the tiny frame of a little girl came a pure and powerful soprano voice that soon won talent contests (think “The Voice,” but 1940s Belfast). Before long, she was performing in theaters and opera houses across Ireland and the United Kingdom: The Theatre Royal in Dublin and Glasgow, Cork Opera House, Belfast's Grand Opera House and Empire Theatre, and many others.

Though she eventually stepped away from professional singing, Meta never set aside her love of music. At weddings, funerals, and especially Christmas Eve Mass—when her rendition of “Ave Maria” became a tradition at St. Thomas the Apostle Church—her voice remained strong and angelic well into her 80s.

She sang her way into Brendan Boyle's heart in 1949. But their first date nearly went awry: “Lassie Come Home” seemed a sweet choice for a movie, but unbeknownst to Brendan, Meta had just lost her own beloved dog the week prior. Tears flowed, handkerchiefs were gallantly offered, and the date was saved (barely). Despite a tearful start, a romance began that evening and blossomed into a marriage of 61 years.

Meta was only supposed to come to America for a few months in 1952, but it extended from a summer holiday to the rest of her adult life. When Brendan soon appeared after her arrival, one might conclude “something was afoot.” One would be correct. They married in Woodside, NY in 1953, later making their home in New Jersey—first Harrison, then Kearny, and finally Bloomfield, where she would remain. She arrived at a time when America brimmed with opportunity, a place perfectly suited to her intelligence, charm, and hard work.

Meta's faith found its anchor at St. Thomas the Apostle. The parish was not just a church but a community that shaped every aspect of her life: her prayer life, her friendships, her volunteer service, her children's schooling, and of course, her singing.

Raising four children was her initial calling, but a work life that involved teaching CCD, doing payroll at ADP, becoming a college counselor at Bloomfield College, and later a successful real estate agent added to her brimming portfolio of life experience.

If generosity can be called a vocation, it was hers. Meta gave freely of her time, her energy, and her love. She didn't need social media to keep in touch - she did it the old-fashioned way with numerous phone calls, handwritten notes, airmail letters, and, most recently, texts (even if they were sent to the wrong person). Personal visits were always accompanied by her famous scones, brownies, or soda bread, each baked with the love she poured into everything she did.

Opera was another of her great loves. La Bohème and La Traviata were her touchstones, and she would argue, 

with conviction, that no one on earth ever sang more gloriously than her beloved Luciano Pavarotti. So next time you hear “Nessun Dorma,” remember Meta.

If you're familiar with phrases like: “When you know better, you do better,” “You are so good to me,” “God bless you,” “Patty McGinty's Goat,” or “Would you like a wee cup of tea?” you must be a loved one of Meta Boyle's. Please remember these expressions fondly too.

It is not easy to outlive most of one's generation. Meta bore the grief of losing many loved ones who shared her history, her culture, her shorthand. The loss of Brendan in 2014, her devoted partner in life's long adventure, was the hardest of all.

Through it all —through sorrow, through illness—she carried herself with positivity, dignity, and grace. She led the best life. She has earned her rest. God Bless you, Meta. Rest in Eternal Peace.