OBITUARIES
March
3, 2005
Amy L.
Niebling
Amy Lynn Niebling of Somerville died Feb. 3 in a plane crash in
Afghanistan. She was on a four-week assignment for a Boston-based
aid agency. Amy was 29. She was preceded in death by her father,
Raymond B. Niebling; also, her dogs, Murphy and McGee. She is survived
by her husband, Andrew E. Meeks, of Somerville; her mother, Margaret
A. Niebling and sister, Devon M. Niebling, both of Omaha, Neb.;
her grandparents, Raymond and Margaret Niebling, of St. Louis, Mo.;
father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jeffrey A. and Karen F. Meeks,
of West Tisbury; sister-in-law, Sarah C. Meeks, of Fairfield, Conn.;
aunts, uncles and cousins. She is also survived by her dog, Skylar;
and family pets, Willie and Sadie.
Kathleen
K. Cheney
Kathleen Kenefick Cheney died on Dec. 2, 2004. She was born on July
9, 1932, in Buffalo, N.Y., to Ted and Polly Kenefick. She attended
Westover School in Connecticut, graduating with honors, and went
on to Vassar College for two years. After spending a year at a finishing
school in Florence, Italy, she went to work for Time-Life in New
York City. In 1963 she received her bachelor of arts from Catholic
University in Washington, D.C.
On November 13, 1961, Kathleen married Ronald L. Cheney in Buffalo,
N.Y. Two years later her only child, Felicia, was born. Kathleen
was a loving and attentive mother while she was capable. It is likely
that for many years, Kathleen managed to quell any outward signs
of paranoid schizophrenia, but in the 1960s her disease became unmanageable.
Eventually, Kathleen tried to take her own life and lost custody
of her daughter. Following her downturn, Kathleen moved from Cambridge
to Buffalo and finally to Santa Fe, N.M., where she remained until
the mid 1980s. Without consistent care and medication, Kathleen
succumbed to the ravages of her disease. For the remaining 20 years
of her life, she spent her time between mental institutions and
halfway houses.
Prior to the onset of her disease, Kathleen was a funny, intelligent,
attractive, and vibrant woman. Even until her death she retained
her sharp sense of irony, was fluent in Italian and French, and
sketched well.
Survivors include her older sister, Sheila Bertozzi of Palm Desert,
Calif.; her daughter Felicia Cheney, her son-in-law Robert Fynbo,
and grandchildren Colin Day and Gavin Fynbo, all of Edgartown; and
numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her younger brother, Michael
Kenefick of Seattle, Wash., and Palm Desert, Calif., died in February.
Donations may be made in Kathleen's name to the National Alliance
for the Mentally Ill, Donor Services, 2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300,
Arlington, VA 22201-3042 or to Albright Knox Museum, ATTN: Development
Dept., 1285 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY, 14222.
F. A. Gardner
Dove
F. A. Gardner Dove died at home in Vineyard Haven on Feb. 25 at
the age of 91. He was born in Washington D.C., on Jan. 17, 1941,
the son of J. Maury and Helen Gardner Dove. While growing up he
spent all his summers at his grandmother's house in West Chop.
After raising his family in Washington D.C., he and his wife, Florence
A. Dove, moved to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands for seven years,
and then retired to Martha's Vineyard in 1976.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years; two daughters, Helen and
her husband John Howze, of Alexandria, Va., and Judy and her husband
Geoff Corbert, of Chevy Chase, Md.; two sons-in-law; a sister, Priscilla
Sroufe, of Pasadena, Calif.; six granddaughters; and eight great-grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service at the First Congregational Church
on State Road in West Tisbury on Friday, March 18, at noon. Interment
will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice
of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557; Vineyard
Nursing Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557; or Martha's
Vineyard Hospital, P.O. Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Thomas M. Britt
Thomas M. Britt, 59, of West Tisbury died Feb. 26 at his home. He
was the husband of Susan (Donahue) Britt and father of Hallie and
Colin Britt, both of West Tisbury.
His memorial service will be held in the First Congregational Church,
State Road, West Tisbury on Monday, March 7 at 3 pm. A reception
will immediately follow at the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Hall.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Polly Hill
Arboretum, P.O. Box 561, West Tisbury, MA 02575. Arrangements are
under the care of Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Oak Bluffs,
508-693-1495. For more information or online guest book visit www.ccgfuneralhome.com.
A full obituary will appear in a future edition of The Times.
Ronnie Ingraham
Ronnie Ingraham, 53, of Oak Bluffs died on Jan. 17 after a long
battle with cancer. Ronnie was born in White Plains, N.Y., Feb.
4, 1952. She summered on the Island, until moving here in 1962.
She graduated from Oak Bluffs elementary school in 1966, and then
went on to Abbott Academy in Andover. After graduating, she spent
a year abroad. On her return home she was diagnosed with cancer.
Ronnie was the great-great-granddaughter of Elias Ingraham, the
clockmaker, on her father's side, and the great-great-granddaughter
of schooner captain David T. Strange on her mother's side.
She was a Rainbow girl and member of the 4-H Club. Ronnie was a
member of the East Chop Beach Club and loved swimming and boating.
She is survived by a sister, Leslie Ingraham Bunker; a brother,
William Ingraham; and nieces Michele Duarte, Veronica Malcouronni,
Jenny Ingraham; and nephew Elias Ingraham.
She brought joy and happiness to all who knew her. A memorial service
will be held this summer. Donations in Ronnie's name may be made
to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
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