By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

“No” wasn’t a word Derek Doyle tolerated well during his short life.

Whether he was testing the boundaries of public TV, producing an independent film, coming up with an unusual musical tribune to Johnny Cash or talking with his doctor about his lifelong struggle with his kidneys, Doyle never took “no” for an answer.

Nor did he conform to what society thought he should or should not do in any particular aspect of his life.

“That’s what was so great about Derek – he didn’t care what others thought,” said friend Renae Zimmer. “He was himself and always said you don’t have to hide behind what society wants you to be.”

Doyle survived five kidney transplants during his short 26 year life and succumbed to spinal meningitis on Oct. 29. His first kidney transplant was at age 5 and his last was six months ago.

“He didn’t die of kidney failure, he beat that one,” said his mother, Kathi Doyle, explaining he contracted spinal meningitis due to his compromised immune system.

When the family knew Derek was going to die, they worked hard to make sure his last moments were at home. “He ran from hospitals all his life, so it would have been a sin to let him die anywhere but home,” his mother said.

When the decision was made to let Derek die at home, word spread quickly amongst his friends via Facebook. By the time the Doyles got home from the hospital, 30 to 40 of his friends were waiting to greet him.

Then about 15 minutes after he got home and after his best friend got there to say goodbye, Derek was gone, his mother said.

“If he had to go, this was the way he wanted to go – the center of attention and surrounded by family and friends. He was still on the stage,” she said.

Celebration

Family and friends celebrated Derek’s life in two ways – first at Sneaky Pete’s Wednesday night (Nov. 4) in downtown Minneapolis. His dad said that event was for Derek’s friends to provide a place to remember him.

“It was a celebration of his spirit, his direction and total ambition of Derek with his community of friends and artists,” said his dad, Donnie Doyle.

On Nov. 6, there was an “Independence Day” gathering at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center for what his mother called, “the more traditional crowd.”

“Derek had another side to his life – the business side and his presence in the entertainment industry,” his mother said.

No matter how those who knew Derek remember him, his mother said both celebrations had the same objective – to celebrate Derek’s independence and his life.

“Derek was adamant about having positive connections with people and finding a way to make his dreams happen through perseverance, spirit and will,” said his father, “The winds of life may have knocked him down while he was with us, but he got up over and over again.”

Donnie said his family has always known of Derek’s tenacity, but they are just realizing through his friends of their son’s impact on their lives.

“It’s so neat to know the different lives he touched and how he gave them something to help them grow,” said Kathi.

Zimmer said Derek always talked about how he wanted to make a difference in the world; for everyone to know the importance of his generation. “‘We have a voice,’ he would say, and ‘we shouldn’t be quiet.’ He taught me that if I strongly believed in something then I should stand up for it and be heard. He also taught me to believe in myself,” she said.

Laura Holt said she met Derek at the Institute for Production & Recording (IPR) in Minneapolis. They became fast friends because they had most of their classes together.

She said she’ll miss his friendship the most. “I’ll miss the good way he teased me and pushed my buttons to always keep me on my toes,” she said.

Film producer

In his short life, Derek produced three independent films: “Youth of a Nation,” “Breaking the Habit” and “Road to Warp.”

Jeff Renner, the city of Savage’s cable television coordinator, met Derek when he checked out video equipment and used the city’s studio to produce “Youth of a Nation.”

Doyle, who was 19 years old at the time, also had a public access show, “The Few, The Proud, The Easily Amused,” through his first production company ImMature.

Renner said he admired Doyle’s “pluck” and “tenacity.”

“‘No’ was just a starting point for Derek,” Renner said with a laugh, saying he challenged the city’s cable services department on a regular basis.

“Many of the policies we have in place today are because of Derek and the things he wanted to do in studio,” Renner said. “He tested our limits and that was a good thing for us.”

Derek’s parents Kathi and Donnie laugh when they hear things like that, proudly pointing out they never taught their son the meaning of “no.”

They say that enabled Derek to tackle his ongoing health problems head on and to go after what he wanted out of life. Through his persistence, Doyle formed (M) Productions and then merged that company in 2007 with two other companies he started to form New America Entertainment (NAE).

He also made connections in the independent film arena – with the Independent Film Project (IFP) North, Minneapolis Film Board (MFB) and with View Askew, independent filmmaker Kevin Smith’s production company. In fact, Derek won an essay contest sponsored by View Askew.

“We’re not trying to be Steven Spielberg or George Lucas,” said Doyle in a 2004 interview about his work, “Our dream is to be the next great independent filmmaker.”

At the time of his death, Derek was finishing up his degree at IPR, working on a Johnny Cash hip hop show at the Cabooze and was planning to be married in May of next year.

His dad is planning to make sure the Johnny Cash show happens in Derek’s honor and his mother said she got a call this week saying IPR will issue him an honorary diploma in January, as he was just 12 credits shy of graduating.

His ashes will be scattered at Jones Beach in Long Island, N.Y., which is near the area where Derek grew up.

Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com.