Tom Boyle makes very few concessions to being 86 years of age.
He says he’s a step or two slower these days, and that he and his wife Ann aren’t as eager to drive super long distances.
But Tom sure had plenty of spring in his step at the end of our visit on Tuesday. Without flinching he went out to the curb in frigid weather to retrieve the mail, and then walked over to my car to tell me one of my tires was low.
Good eyesight, to be sure. But I had already learned that.
Earlier at the kitchen table of their Palos Heights home, we were discussing Boyle’s granddaughter, Mother McAuley standout volleyball player Charley Niego.
“It’s just like watching her mother (Therese Boyle-Niego),” Tom Boyle said. “It’s like Charley’s a clone. She can see things on the other side of the net and make adjustments.”
I agreed and told him about how I’ve noticed that she sometimes make adjustments in her hitting while still in the air.
“Yes!” he said, giving me a wink of approval. “That’s good. Not many people notice that.”
You can’t do better than a compliment from the patriarch of what might be the Southland’s first family of high school sports.
I can say with confidence that they’re the first family on the South Side.
Tom Boyle played football at De La Salle. Five of his and Ann’s daughters — Therese, Mary Weiler, Colleen Krzysciak, Trisha Flannery and Sheila Nawrocki — all played on at least one Mother McAuley state championship volleyball team. Another daughter, Kathy Styler, was a cheerleader for Marist. A son, Tom, played football at Mount Carmel and Marist.
And they were always there, Tom and Ann, in aspects that carried well beyond the volleyball court or football field.
“They were always great, always supportive,” Therese Boyle-Niego said. “And as parents they always kept it in perspective, which is good.
“In the balance of life, you can get really carried away with sports and invest a lot in it. My parents kept it balanced, as far as the family, the faith and the sports. We try very hard to do that with our kids.”
Are you ready for the rest?
Tom and Ann have 20 grandchildren. Among them, 17 are playing or have played sports in high school at Mother McAuley, Marist, Brother Rice and Joliet Catholic. Two are still in grammar school.
Seven have earned all-area or all-state recognition. Two have been on state title teams, and three on state runners-up. Seven received college scholarships.
Those are a lot of high school and college careers for Tom and Ann to follow. And they did, every step of the way.
“How many events … oh, I wouldn’t even know,” Ann Boyle said. “But we have enjoyed every minute of it. When our girls were done with high school I said, ‘What are we going to do?'”
It turned out, they would do plenty.
Their top college highlight was watching Therese win the NCAA title with Pacific in 1985. Their latest highlight was watching Charley Niego win a state title with Mother McAuley in 2016.
Carli Weiler made two trips to state with McAuley in 2005 and 2007. Carli always thought it was a highlight when grandma and grandpa were there.
“Oh, my gosh, they never missed a match,” Weiler said. “They were always in the stands, always at the family parties. They were huge supporters, just a big part of what our family is.
“As a family, we get together a lot. They invest in us a lot, and care about everyone around them. They are just loving people.”
The family had quite a Christmas gathering this year. There were close to 40 people in the picture they showed me.
“They were all in their own groups, watching football,” Ann Boyle said. “We have such a wonderful family. We really do. The kids are great. Thank God for them.”
Twitter @tbaranek