Nancy West Colby Eddy, 92, died on July 15, 2018, at her daughter Anne’s home, surrounded by her family. She was born in Tisbury, daughter of Alice A. and Robert S. West. She was a 10th-generation Islander. Her ancestors can be traced back to Gov. Thomas Mayhew, who first came to Martha’s Vineyard in 1642.
Nancy graduated from Tisbury High School, class of 1943. She worked in Boston for the phone company for several years, then came back to the Island and worked for the phone company in Vineyard Haven.
She married William A. Colby Jr. on Sept. 18, 1949, at his family’s home in North Tisbury.
Nancy was a homemaker and mother to Anne and Jill. She enjoyed taking care of her home and family, and getting together with her sister Priscilla, lifelong friend Agnes Rice, and friends for coffee.
She was predeceased by her husband Bill in 1965, and by her second husband, Donald Eddy, in 2002; she was also predeceased by her sister, Priscilla Dickson. She is survived by her daughters Anne Alwardt and her husband, Mark, and Jill Edgar and her husband, Donald, all of Oak Bluffs. Five granddaughters, 10 great-grandchildren, a niece, Linda Dickson Unczur, and nephews Bobby and Glenn Dickson.
A graveside service will be held in Oak Grove Cemetery, State Road in Vineyard Haven, on Saturday, July 28, at 10 am. Donations in her memory may be made to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1748, 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.