Agnes Anne Coyle
June 25, 1939 -
Mar 11, 2020
Agnes Anne Coyle died peacefully at home on March 11, 2020, surrounded by family and friends. A loving wife, mother and grandmother, she leaves a vibrant legacy as a volunteer, arts advocate and community leader. She approached life as a joyful celebration, and, along the way, created one for her family and all who knew her.
Agnes was born on June 25, 1939, in Breese, Ill. (population 2,205), the sixth of nine children of Frank and Anne (Renschen) Kuhl. Her father, a self-educated engineer, ran the town's power plant; her mother, a graduate of secretarial school, was active in the church and community. Agnes attended Mater Dei High School and DePaul Nursing School, where she excelled, scoring 3,433 on her board examination, nearly twice the mark required for certification. In 1960, she joined City Hospital in St. Louis, and thrived in the action-filled environment, quickly rising to become head nurse of the emergency room. As she put it, "Every day was an adventure."
Agnes's adventure accelerated in January 1963 when she met Dr. Maurice Coyle, who introduced himself over the phone using a unique pickup line: "Hello, Nurse Kuhl? This is Dr. Hot." Against all odds, it worked: Agnes and Maury were engaged in April, and married in June. For their honeymoon, they drove their Ford Falcon west to Yellowstone, where they camped, hiked and, on one memorable occasion, gave first aid to a fellow camper who had been attacked by a black bear. They spent 1964 in Omaha, Neb., where Maury began his radiology residency, and where Agnes gave birth to Maurice. Then they drove back to St. Louis, where they had to make room for two more babies born in quick succession, Daniel and Jonathan.
In July 1968, the Coyle family moved from St. Louis to Alaska, where Maury had signed on for a two-year term at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Agnes, Maury and the boys spent their first few weeks at the Mush-Inn Motel; later that year they bought a house on Wesleyan Drive, near the Alaska Methodist University trail system. By winter, Agnes was pioneering routes in her wooden Bonna cross-country skis; by summer, she made high-velocity, helmet-free explorations of Anchorage roads on her green Schwinn Breeze bicycle. (Maury rode a Schwinn Typhoon, more slowly). She would cherish and use the skis and bike for the next 50 years.
Shortly after arriving in Anchorage, Agnes began volunteering at the Alaska Native Hospital on Third Avenue, where she spotted an opportunity. She noticed that Native people coming to the hospital for treatment were selling their crafts for cash on an ad-hoc basis, displaying them at a switchboard operator's desk. Agnes envisioned something bigger and more permanent. As she told fellow volunteer Jeanne Dougherty, "Jeanne, if you help me, we could have a shop." Agnes and Jeanne purchased some used display cases, and in 1975, working from a commandeered storage closet, the Alaska Native Medical Center Craft Shop opened its doors. Agnes and her colleagues created a nonprofit consignment operation that sold Native arts and crafts from around the state and sent the proceeds directly to the artists. Agnes combined forces with Jeanne and fellow volunteer Karin Vogeler to form the trio that became known as The Shop Ladies. The three ventured to the remotest outposts in the state, including Little Diomede, St. Lawrence Island and Shishmaref, traveling by bush plane, skiff and, on one occasion, freight helicopter. The Shop Ladies built relationships with some of Alaska's most talented artists and craftspeople, always keeping sight of the shop's core mission of helping Native people and preserving their culture. In 1985, the shop established a scholarship fund, which to date has awarded more than $1.5 million to more than 500 Native students.
Agnes was honored with the Governor's First Lady Volunteer Award, the 1986 Governor's Award for the Arts, the 1990 Eight Stars of Gold Citizenship Award, the 1990 American Hospital Association Award for Volunteer Excellence, and in 1992 she was awarded Resolutions of Recognition by both the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska State Legislature.
Around that time, Agnes led an effort to create the Auxiliary Heritage Collection, an assemblage of the finest artwork in the state, and which the American Hospital Association would call "a Smithsonian-quality Native arts and crafts collection" in a 2008 award. In 1997, the Heritage Collection became a centerpiece of the new Alaska Native Medical Center on Tudor Road, where it remains and continues to expand today.
Beyond the craft shop, Agnes was committed to helping the less fortunate in Anchorage. She played a key role in the founding of the Brother Francis Shelter. She gave her time, talent and treasure to Beans Cafe, Clare House, Anchorage Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Adelante Mujer, St. Anthony Catholic Church, and the efforts of Father Alex Busuttil at Mission Alto Cayma in Arequipa, Peru. In each, she gave of herself through action - making meals, sharing time and showing up to help wherever it was needed. Agnes was active in social-justice issues, particularly LGBTQ rights, women's rights and Catholic church reform, and always focused on making people feel that they matter.
In the long view, however, Agnes will be remembered less for her achievements than for her joyful warmth and energy, her radiant smile, her bedrock optimism and her unique ability to turn an everyday moment into a celebration. From their earliest days together, she and Maury loved gathering family and friends in memorable and meaningful ways: for Fur Rendezvous and Iditarod parties, sledding outings, pig roasts, concert outings and karaoke nights - always with an abundance of food, music and laughter. In 1976, Agnes and Maury bought a cabin on Kachemak Bay that became a beloved gathering place for generations of family and friends. The cabin and its activities - picking blueberries, catching halibut, singing songs, leaping off the dock, playing pinochle, cooking Thanksgiving-level feasts at every meal - was where her love of happy gatherings bloomed into a decades-long party attended, remembered and still talked about by generations of family and friends.
Agnes is survived by her children, Maurice (John Giuggio), Daniel (Jenny Coyle) and Jonathan (Marian Jones); as well as his grandchildren, Aidan, McKayla, Rosie, Katie, Seamus, Lia, Zoe; honorary grandchild, Jacob Jones; and her siblings, June Strake, Ruth Schmitz, Dennis Kuhl and Theresa Hostmeyer. She was preceded in death by her husband, Maury; and her siblings, Ralph Kuhl, Rosemary Mazeka, Tom Kuhl and Frank Kuhl.
Family and friends will gather for a funeral mass at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 825 Klevin Street in Anchorage, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Due to health concerns related to COVID-19, we are postponing the celebration of life reception until later this summer, date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be sent to Catholic Social Services, 3710 East 20th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99508.
