Dr. Frances Eileen (Doyle) Dwyer

Dr. Frances Doyle Dwyer passed away peacefully with her family on November 15, 2024. She was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on March 9, 1942, to Margaret Doyle and her husband, and proceeded to smash through all of the obstacles along her way to become a beloved local physician and powerful force of good in the world.

Dr. Dwyer grew up in Cambridge surrounded by family, including her sister, Eleanor; her grandparents, Etta and Christopher Donnelly; her aunts Catherine and Rose; and her cousins Stephen and Christopher. An independent soul, she chafed at her enrollment in Mount Saint Joseph Academy, and did her best to get expelled so that she could take science classes at a public high school instead. While she failed in that endeavor, the nun in charge of detentions gave her a specific cushion to use in chapel because she spent so much time kneeling in prayer for forgiveness for her various transgressions.

Dr. Dwyer enrolled in the Boston College School of Nursing in 1959, and upon being told that she would never succeed as a nurse, proceeded to become a doctor instead. She attended Boston University for her B.S., the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University) for her M.D., and the Yale University School of Medicine for her Master's in Public Health. Later in life, finding herself bored, she also attended the Physician Leadership Education Program at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Dr. Dwyer began her 50-year career in medicine in 1967, and practiced across various cities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Indiana. She specialized in pediatrics, emergency medicine, family medicine, integrative medicine, and allergy care. She was a longtime member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, the American EPD Society, the American Association of Physician Specialists, and the American Medical Association. Despite her official retirement in 2018, she maintained an active medical license until the day she died.

A longtime leader in the local medical community, Dr. Dwyer inspired and mentored countless others, and in 2006 was awarded the Michiana Spirit of Women Award for health care. She was well-known within the community for her profound care for her patients, her dedication to helping those in need, and her razor-sharp skills as a diagnostician. It was not uncommon for her to take care of multiple generations of the same family, with those for whom she had been a childhood physician in turn bringing their children and grandchildren to her.

In addition to her work as a physician in private practice, Dr. Dwyer also practiced emergency medicine at a variety of locations across northern Indiana; taught classes at Tufts University School of Medicine, Ivy Tech Community College, Holy Cross College, and Brown Mackie College; and volunteered at the Chapin Street Clinic (now the Sister Maura Brannick Health Center). She also enjoyed going on medical mission trips, volunteering her services across various communities in Honduras, China, Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt.

An avid traveler, Dr. Dwyer visited every continent, and considered her 2009 trip to Antarctica to have been one of the best trips she'd ever taken. An adventurous spirit, she could regale you with tales of mishaps and misdirections from the highlands of Scotland to the streets of Beijing, from the dust of the Australian outback to the sunrise over the Maasai Mara, from the Valley of the Kings to the steppes of Mongolia. 

In addition to her travels, Dr. Dwyer was also a lifelong artist. She filled her free time with stained glass, crochet, and quilting. She enjoyed playing Sudoku, doing puzzles with her friends, and gardening, and was a beloved pet-parent and pet-grandparent to seven cats and a dog.

Dr. Dwyer is survived by her three children, three grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren; two daughters-in-law; her former husband; a niece, great-niece, and nephew; and cousins, friends, and all of those whose lives she touched along the way.

The family will be holding a celebration of life for Dr. Dwyer on January 5, 2025, from 1-3 pm at Dalloway’s Clubhouse at St. Mary’s College. Friends, colleagues, and those whose lives she touched are invited to attend. 

In accordance with her final wishes, her ashes will be scattered over her beloved Cape Cod, where she spent many happy summers as a child with her family.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sister Maura Brannick Health Center through https://www.sjmedgiving.com/donate. Please select "Sister Maura Brannick Health Center" in the designation choices.