Maureen Healy

Maureen Therese Flanders Healy, West Tisbury’s former executive secretary and spouse of West Tisbury select board member Kent Healy, died on May 21, 2021. She was 84. 

Maureen was born to Cyrus and Mary Flanders on July 22, 1936. She grew up in Windsor Locks, Conn., with all the love and attention due to the youngest child and only daughter among the five Flanders children. 

She and her family visited Menemsha each summer to see her grandparents and other relatives. When she was old enough, Maureen and her cousin Marjorie Manter lived in a fishing shack, and worked at the Home Port. 

Many wonderful memories grew out of her time in Menemsha. A favorite was when she and Marjorie evacuated to ride out a hurricane with the young seamen. Another was learning about her great-grandfather, Samuel Howard Flanders, who served as lightkeeper at the Gay Head Lighthouse. With each retelling of this story, Maureen would grumble about the fact that he was fired in 1861 when the Democrats lost the White House. 

The best memories began when the 16-year-old Maureen thumbed a ride with Kent Healy, age 20. Reportedly she was somewhat smitten, and asked for a ride on his boat. A couple of years later, Marjorie and Mott deForest arranged for them to meet again at a party at the Davis House, and their lifelong love story began in earnest. 

After graduating from the MacDuffie School for Girls, Maureen began her studies at the University of Connecticut. However, her academic career was cut short in 1957 when she and Kent decided to marry. For the next 63 years, they built a partnership which supported and strengthened them through all of life’s challenges, and brought immeasurable joy to their five children, eight grandchildren, and a host of friends.

In 1964 they settled in eastern Connecticut. Kent began teaching at UConn, while Maureen was busy with the growing family. Eventually she found time to work at the UConn library and serve on the governing boards of the Chamlin Elementary School and the regional special education cooperative. 

For years they summered in Quansoo, before becoming year-round residents of West Tisbury in 1983. Initially Maureen worked for the town of Chilmark, sorting through town land records. In 1987 she became the executive secretary to the town of West Tisbury, and served in that capacity until retiring in 2002. She began working part-time with Cindy Mitchell on what would become Island Health Care.

Maureen is survived by her husband, Kent Healy of West Tisbury; her daughter Elizabeth of Vineyard Haven, her sons Bill, Jon, and Allen of Chilmark, and her son Sam of Melrose; by her grandchildren, Alayna and Jon Cohen, and Quinn, Troy, Molly, Keither, Everett, and Kent Healy. She was predeceased by her parents, and by her brothers, Samuel, Urban, Glenn, and John Flanders. 

Interment will be private; a gathering to celebrate Maureen’s life will be held at a later date.
The family suggests that memorial contributions be sent to Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1748, Vineyard Haven, MA 02569.