Michaelyn "Mickey" Gourlay-Doyle

NASSAU - Michaelyn Gourlay-Doyle, age 81, known as “Mickey” by all, passed away peacefully at home on November 2, 2024 surrounded by her loving family.

She was pre-deceased by her parents, Harper L. Howard and Agnes Horning Howard and her loving husbands Robert Gourlay who passed in 1982 and John Doyle who passed in 2005.

She is survived by her sons Robert Gourlay Jr. (Maureen McGrath) and Michael Gourlay (husband Jeff Jacklin), her grandchildren Christopher and Kiersten Gourlay. She is also survived, by two sisters, a brother and several nieces and nephews

Mickey's greatest love was her family. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, always there for support no matter the event, baseball, basketball, piano recitals, soccer, Boy Scouts, dance recitals as well as trombone, jazz quartet and saxophone.

Always interested in health issues, once the children were in school, Mickey pursued a career with the NYS Department of Health. She began her 25-year career in Labs and Research, conducting testing for Syphilis, including the Colloidal Gold Test. She also participated in a research program to establish a modified fluoroimmuno assay system to identify cerebral spinal fluid proteins. Then moving to Public Health, working first in the Kidney Disease Institute where she assisted families with home hemodialysis and for family members caring for those with renal failure. She brought her personal empathy and experience to this, learning and providing home dialysis for her husband Bob and caring for him through two kidney transplants. She next worked in the Adolescent Pregnancy Program, working with other agencies throughout the state on the Governors Initiative to help pregnant teens and promote pregnancy prevention. In 1990 Mickey joined the Aids institute working tirelessly over the next 10 years to advocate for people with HIV/AIDS by providing services in the Anonymous Counseling and Testing Program as well as working in the Policy Unit to help establish policies to fight discrimination and advocate for equal care. She administered programs for nursing homes, prisons and housing as well as monitoring 31 hospitals with Designated AIDS Centers. She retired in 2000. Mickey enjoyed a long and full retirement, from volunteering at Memorial Hospital and the NYS museum to enjoying many winters in Florida and extensively traveling with friends and family. Most recently she was content at home, painting and quilting. She loved her summers in her gardens with her beloved rescue dogs and constant companions Daisy Mae and Lilly Mae.

In keeping with Mickey's wishes, there will be no public service. Interment will be at Memory Gardens at the convenience of the family.

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