Nancy Dunleavy Kenney Burton, 87, of Oak Bluffs and Naples, Fla., died on March 27, 2018. Nancy was born in Springfield, and later moved to Wallingford and West Haven, Conn. She was predeceased by her parents, Lawrence W. and Anna D. Kenney.
She was a graduate of Classical high school in Springfield, received a bachelor’s in elementary education from Fitchburg State Teachers College, and received a master’s in education as a reading specialist along with a sixth-year degree in education. She taught first and second grade at Forest School in West Haven, Conn., where she maintained lifelong special friendships with her teaching friends and the admiration of students and parents in the community. She retired from teaching in 1996, and moved to Martha’s Vineyard to become best friend and teacher to her infant granddaughter, Annie.
Nancy’s favorite memories were of times spent at the family cottage at Crescent Lake in Enfield. In her youth she played tennis and softball, and later in life enjoyed a good round of golf. She loved her pet poodle, Katie, and had many lovely walks with her both on Martha’s Vineyard and in Naples.
Survivors include daughter Kathleen A. Burton; daughter-in-law Nancy Phillips; granddaughter Annie K. Burton; brother Lawrence J. Kenney and sister-in-law Marilyn; nieces Karen Conway, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Martha Godfroy, and Patricia Welch; nephew Christopher Kenney; and grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins.
A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 7, at 10 am at St Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, Franklin Street, Vineyard Haven, with burial to follow in Oak Grove Cemetery, Pacific Avenue in Oak Bluffs. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1829, Edgartown MA 02539, or the Good Shepherd Parish of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1058, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. Visit ccgfuneralhome.com for online guestbook and information.
