Kevin Doyle

1966 - 2024  (58 years)

• Name	Kevin Doyle
  Born	1966
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-488114
  Died	29 Jun 2024	Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I488114	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

• Notes

  'One of a kind': Former Boathouse operator and live music champion Kevin Doyle dies at 57 Doyle will be honoured with a posthumous award for his volunteer work with the Kitchener Blues Festival Kevin Doyle, a music lover whose passion turned the Boathouse in Kitchener into one of the area's leading live music venues in past years, has died. That love of music was eclipsed only by his love for his family, said his partner, Maureen Luce. "He was just so involved," Luce said Tuesday. The couple's blended family included Doyle's two sons and Luce's four children from previous relationships, and five grandchildren. "His sons were so important to him, and he's always been great to my kids," she said. Doyle, 57, had cancer and died Saturday at Lisaard House in Cambridge. His appreciation for music and his support for artists made Doyle a fixture in Waterloo Region's arts scene. He shared that passion for several years through a radio show called Voodoo Healing on CKMS-FM, and was involved in the formation of the Grand River Blues Society and the creation of Blues, Brews & Barbecues \emdash now the Kitchener Blues Festival \emdash where he served as a longtime volunteer. After a few years away from the event, Doyle, who worked as an electrician, returned last year to offer his time as hospitality co-ordinator for the OLG Clock Tower Stage in Victoria Park, said the festival's artistic director, Claude Cloutier. "He was a great blues lover, and a music lover in general," Cloutier said. Doyle operated the Boathouse in Victoria Park for nine years before a dispute over utility bills and proposed renovations led the city to close the doors and take back control of the city-owned venue in 2013. It later reopened under a different operator, closed again in 2019, and is now being prepped for a planned opening this summer. In Doyle's time at the helm, the Boathouse hosted live music six nights a week, with up to three different bands a night. That made it a welcoming space for local musicians and touring acts alike, Cloutier said. "He brought so much talent into the area," he said. "So many musicians are very grateful to him for the opportunity he provided." One story had rockers The Sheepdogs \emdash before they landed on the cover of Rolling Stone \emdash asking Doyle if they could play a gig on a Tuesday night as they were passing through Kitchener. Tuesdays were usually reserved for local acts, but Doyle let them play for free drinks and a meal, and put them up for the night at his home. Cloutier told Doyle a few months ago that he would receive the Philip Bast Award at this year's Blues Festival, in recognition of Doyle's contributions to the event. "We were hoping that his health would stabilize for him to come on stage," Cloutier said. Instead, the award will be presented posthumously at the festival in August. Doyle's friends can't think of a more worthy recipient. "He was very knowledgeable about what was going on, but he was also very willing to give people a chance," said Mark Logan, owner of Kitchener's Encore Records store and label Busted Flat Records. "He was a very kind and generous person. He got along with everybody," Logan said. "It was a really diverse group of people he ended up pulling together into a family." When Tim Willcox moved to the Victoria Park area in 2004, he became a regular at the Boathouse and bonded with Doyle over a shared love of music. "He was one of the first real friends I made," Willcox said. "His passion for local independent music, local blues artists, giving young artists a chance … he paid the bands before he paid the rent. "He was one of a kind." Doyle served as master of ceremonies when the Boathouse hosted a wedding reception for Lynn Robitaille and her husband, Mark Damsma. "If anybody needed anything, they could rely on him," said Robitaille, who met Doyle not long after he took over operations at the lakeside venue. "He had the biggest heart you could ever find in a human." Brent Davis covers business and breaking news for WaterlooRegion Record. Davis, B. (2024) 'One of a kind': Former Boathouse operator and live music champion Kevin Doyle dies at 57, The Record. Available at: https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/one-of-a-kind-former-boathouse-operator-and-live-music-champion-kevin-doyle-dies-at/article_588dd112-52db-563c-9237-479bcd10eb6c.html (Accessed: 3 July 2024).

  
  

• Event Map

  Died - 29 Jun 2024 - Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth