Lillian Estelle Hoyle

On November 18, 2025, Lillian Estelle "Babe" (Heim) Hoyle, joined her husband in the afterlife. She was surrounded by family when she passed. She lived until 96 years old, but later in life due to her dementia, she’d never agree with you that was her age and did questionable math when telling you how old she was! She was 83 for at least 7 years!

Babe was born on January 17, 1929, and grew up in Middle River with her parents and 9 siblings. Her mother, Marie, had 6 children in 6 years, of which Babe was the youngest, and then a four year break before the next 4 children, thus, making her the baby for 4 years. That earned her the nickname “Babe” which stuck for the rest of her life. She met and married her husband, Bill, a WW II veteran and a farmer from NC, when he moved to Baltimore after the war was over. His brother, Carl, rented a room from Babe’s sister, Beatrice Bordner, and when she laid eyes on Bill (he was a very handsome man) she declared, “boy, oh boy, do I have a woman for you! I’m going to fix you up with my sister Babe” and the rest is history! They got married on July 7, 1951, and were married 66 years until her husband passed away in 2018 at the age of 93.

 Babe and Bill were devoted parents to their only child, Deborah (Clifford) Henry who is the mother of Babe’s two granddaughters, Christa Book (Scott) and Becky Book Crumbacker (Kyle). She also had three great grandchildren Ava, Gavin and Collin, all of whom she adored. When Debbie and Cliff were united in marriage she welcomed the Henry children, their spouses, and grand children into her family as well.

Babe and Bill lived in Essex, MD their entire marriage. Babe worked at the Giant Food store on Stemmers Run Road for 28 years. She loved working there and was probably one of the most popular cashiers because she was friendly and enjoyed talking to the customers. Her check out line was always long because people were willing to wait longer just so they could talk to her! She was known to feel the bare feet of babies in the store to make sure they weren’t cold and if you ever met Babe she probably asked you where your coat was-even in the summer! Babe and Bill enjoyed traveling and went on many trips during their marriage. The highlight was when they went to Hawaii for their 25th anniversary. She loved it so much she took Debbie, Christa and Becky again when Christa turned 13. Babe was always extremely close to her family and especially to two of her sisters, Eleanor Holmes and Patsy O’Guin (Patsy shared her birthday just 10 years later and she was actually the baby of the family!) and she spent every major holiday with them and their families. In 1988, Debbie’s family moved directly across the street from her and she was thrilled to have her family so close. She was known to yell at Christa, Becky and friends from across the street to be careful on the diving board of the pool! Her daughter and son-in-law often threatened to buy her a bullhorn so she didn’t have to strain her “little” voice! There is an infamous family story of Becky falling while roller skating in the driveway and Babe making it across the street to Becky quicker than her dad who happened to be looking out the window at the exact same time Becky fell! But that was how she was-a fierce protector of her family! Her greatest pride in life was her family and much to the embarrassment of her granddaughters (and her great joy), she loved to tell people she had a lawyer and a doctor for grandchildren (and we know for sure she would definitely want this in her obituary!!!).

Babe was a character through and through. To know Babe was to laugh, carry on and love her. Even as she was in hospice in her final days, the nurses told her family that she had them laughing!

The family would like to say a special thank you to the caring people at Angels Among Us Assisted Living and Accent Care Hospice who made sure she was comfortable and well cared for in her final days.

Friends may call at the family-owned Bruzdzinski Funeral Home, 1407 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex, Maryland 21221, on Monday, November 24, 2025, from 3 to 7 PM. A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 25, 2025, at 10 AM. Interment Holly Hill Memorial Gardens.