There is simply no question that Peggy Boyle is one tough woman.
In addition to raising four highly-competitive boys, Peggy was one of the 15 Salazar siblings who grew up in a small house on West Granite Street.
She attended McKinley Elementary and West Junior High before graduating from Butte High School in 1976. Peggy married Bernie Boyle on Aug. 10, 1979. After the birth of their first son, Dan, Peggy graduated from Montana Tech with a degree in occupation safety and health in 1982.
So, there is not a lot you can throw at Peggy that she cannot handle.
That quiet strength that she exhibits is one of the key factors in the Boyle and Burgman families working together to create something good out of a horrific tragedy.
Sunday, Aug. 10, will mark Peggy and Bernie’s 46th wedding anniversary. It will also mark the 10th anniversary of the worst day of their lives.
Just after midnight on Aug. 10, 2015, their son Casey and his best friend Kyle Burgman were killed in an automobile accident where East Park Street meets Sheilds Avenue. Casey, a former Butte Central Maroon, and Kyle, a former Butte High Bulldog, were both just 28 years old. Both were very well-known and beloved in the community, and the tragedy shook the Mining City to its core.
The Burgman and Boyle families did something amazing after the tragedy. On the first anniversary of the accident, they held the first Burgman/Boyle Classic alumni basketball game. That included the Boyle’s Buddies Special Olympics game, a perfect tribute to Casey, who was an adored special education teacher at Butte High School.
They also launched the Burgman/Boyle Scholarship that has helped so many Butte High and Butte Central graduates attend college. The annual Burgman/Boyle cribbage tournament, which was held on Sunday, helps raise money for the scholarship.
The Boyle’s Buddies game has continued on because those Special Olympians will never let it fade away, but the alumni game ended as some of the players got older. It will return this Sunday as both games will be played to mark the 10th anniversary.
Action will kick off at with the Boyle’s Buddies game at 4 p.m. at East Middle School. The alumni game will follow at about 5, and scholarships will be presented during halftime of that game.
Peggy, the director of Butte Central’s Laverne Combo Thanksgiving Dinner, also worked hard on a project to make the 10th anniversary a little more special. The families are raffling off a playhouse/she-shed. Tickets are $25, and they can be bought at the Knights of Columbus and the Butte Depot, among other places.
The drawing for the shed, which is fully insulated and wired for power, will be held during the games. The shed is currently on display outside Dickey’s Barbecue Pit at 2800 Harrison Ave.
Listen in to this episode as Peggy talks about growing up with 14 siblings. Listen as she talks about how Bernie kind of struggled at making a good first — and second — impression. Listen as she talks about raising those four boys and how she dealt with the unimaginable tragedy.
Listen to hear why the Burgman and Boyle families work so hard to make sure the names of Kyle and Casey are never forgotten.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Thriftway Super Stops. Join the Thriftway Loyalty Club today and save big. Intro music by Tim Montana. For more from the Elk Park native, go to timmontana.com. For more from Bill Foley, go to ButteCast.com.
