Doyle Ray Lindsey, aged 79, passed away peacefully at his home in Tarpon Springs on July 22, 2021 after dealing with a cancer diagnosis 9 months ago. He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Joyce (Kaufman) Lindsey, his son Douglas Lindsey and wife Pinar, grandchildren Oliva and Julian of San Diego, CA, and his daughter Debbie and her husband Patrick Mooney and grandson Colin Doyle Mooney of Laurel, MD. He is also survived by his sister Sharyn Klepper of Paul’s Valley, OK.

Doyle was born December 3, 1941 to Hollis Lindsey, an auto mechanic & part time farmer, and Mildred (Miller) Lindsey, a homemaker and telephone operator, in Granite, Oklahoma. Eldest of three children Doyle was joined by younger siblings Sharyn Kaye and Gerry Allen. As a child Doyle was introduced to working the land, picking cotton, and other farming skills with his paternal grandparents Jacob Decatur and Eva Sewell. Doyle shared fond memories of his childhood days spent running around, hunting and fishing, with friends on the Garrett property. He attended the local schools, graduating from Granite High School in 1959 and then enlisting in the United States Army.

Doyle’s service in the Army took him out of his small town and gave him a taste for travel and exploring the U.S. and wider world. After he demonstrated an aptitude for technology, the Army assigned him to the Army Security Service and he completed a tour in South Korea, after which he was assigned to the National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade, Maryland. His enlisted status in the Army parlayed to a civilian job working at NSA as an analyst. In 1965, Doyle met his future bride at NSA, marrying Joyce Kaufman in February 1967. He worked at NSA for 35 years, primarily covering the Far East, performing one overseas tour in the region between 1970 and 1972 with his wife and newborn son, Douglas, and many shorter trips over his career. A couple years after settling back near Fort Meade after their South Korea tour Doyle and Joyce welcomed daughter Deborah Rae to the family.

Doyle, known by his NSA friends as ‘Doc,’ enjoyed and took pride in his work that helped protect U.S. forces, U.S. allies, and the security of the nation. He was intrigued by tough technical challenges, and he enjoyed solving uncovering things an adversary was striving to hide. During his career, he had the opportunity to work with a variety of platforms, from the U-2 and SR-71, high in the upper atmosphere, to ground- and sea-platforms to space-based platforms. Different positions during his career afforded him the opportunity to scratch one of his many intellectual itches: traveling to see and experience different people, cultures, and foods of the world. He insisted on going beyond the standard tourist activities and getting to know their food, language, culture, and traditions. When not tackling a technical or analytic challenge or learning more about foreign culture Doyle could be relied on for plotting and executing a variety of practical jokes on his coworkers.

In addition to working for the government, Doyle was an avid gardener– cultivating a large home garden that produced a bounty of produce that was frequently shared with friends, neighbors and coworkers.  He took pride and joy in landscaping his residences with beautiful flowering plants and shrubs, and he tended to them each season to ensure a home that always had great curb appeal under his green thumb.  He would later revisit this hobby as a part-time job in retirement.

Never one to stay still or stay inside, Doyle enjoyed coaching his kids’ baseball and softball teams. He also learned to play golf, and would never pass up an opportunity to chase the little white ball.

Doyle loved music, and growing up he took part in school plays and musicals. His love of music led to teaching himself how to play guitar and he could be found on many an evening and weekend strumming his Epiphone acoustic to everything from Elvis and Willie Nelson, to Creedence Clearwater Revival and Queen. In his later years, arthritis made it difficult to play; but he never lost his appreciation for good songs that told a story or conveyed an emotion.

After 35 years of distinguished service with the government, Doyle and Joyce decided to pack up their home in Maryland and head South for the next chapters of their lives. Doyle was never a fan of cold or windy weather, and he always said he wanted to put a snow shovel on the roof of his car and drive South until he encountered someone that asked him what it was and what it was used for, and to find out he would never need it again. He found such a place in the city of Tarpon Springs, FL, a bit northwest of Tampa.

In Florida, Doyle found his true home–a landscape that could be filled with flora limited by only imagination, occasionally budget, and the time available to cultivate. A variety of golf courses awaited play with an always rotating cast of interesting people to play with given the time and day of the game. And, of course, the sandy beaches that offered the Gulf of Mexico for a quick swim, a day trip fishing or fishing from the banks and metal detecting for treasures left behind or washed ashore.

Not one to retire and morph into the sofa, Florida was where Doyle spent several years working in the garden department at the local Home Depot, sharing his love for all that is green, and helping people find ways to personalize and brighten their home landscapes. Doyle later took a part time job as a “spry pool boy in his 70s” cleaning local pools and ensuring their water quality was healthy and clean.

Forever the social butterfly Doyle got to know his neighbors, coworkers, and customers well during the years in Florida. He was often found regaling them with stories from his childhood in Oklahoma or his travels around Asia, discussing some new scientific development or historical fact he read in a magazine, sharing his love for wine, plants and golf, or sharing jokes and riddles he heard anywhere from 50 years ago through to last week.

Not long after retiring from his pool job in May 2016, Doyle had a close call in the form of severe stroke that temporarily took away his speech and greatly impaired his right side. Many people who have strokes like the one he had do not survive or they may become bed-bound with profound losses of ability. Doyle took his work at the rehabilitation center very seriously and, with stubborn persistence over several months, managed to re-learn how to talk, walk, and balance almost as if nothing had happened. He resumed playing golf and going about his days with a renewed appreciation for life, if that was even possible.

Post-stroke some of his favorite outdoor activities like golf and fishing became more difficult, prompting Doyle to take up painting as an outlet and way to express himself. This hidden talent blossomed, and after taking a few lessons he developed an almost insatiable desire to paint something new whenever time allowed and inspiration struck.

Doyle was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2020. Neighbors, friends, and family rallied around Doyle & Joyce during his last months—a testament to the lives he touched and the friendships he valued. Doyle completed two rounds of chemotherapy, tolerating the treatments well and continuing to play golf and maintain his social calendar. After his stroke in 2015 and cancer diagnosis in 2020 Doyle never lost his sense of humor nor his appreciation for life, quick to tell anyone who asked that he was “Feeling chipper.” Doyle’s arrangements are being handled by Dobies Funeral Homes and per his request there will be no formal funeral. In lieu of flowers, he requested donations to Doctors Without Borders, Disabled American Veterans, or your local animal shelter. A small celebration of life will take place at a later date and time.