Alison McFarlin Convery passed away in her sleep on September 19, 2026 at the age of 92.
Alison arrived in this world on August 1, 1934, and she spent most of her formative years in Wellesley. In the summer of 1954, Alison and her friend, Gail Cronin, signed up for summer jobs as waitresses at the Harborside Inn. It was a summer that would change her life forever. On her second day there, she met the owners’ son, Leo Convery, and they were married in June 1956. Leo and Alison were full partners in family, business, and community for the rest of their many years together. They raised their three children in Edgartown, and traveled to more than 33 different countries together. Alison has been described as “a force of nature”; she lived a very blessed and full life.
Alison added beauty to everything she touched. She was an accomplished oil painter, specializing in Vineyard scenes and portraits of family and friends. Alison wrote and illustrated “The Child’s Guide to Martha’s Vineyard” in 1970. The book has been reprinted four times. She also illustrated Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” as a private edition for her family. Her seashell frames are treasured by many collectors.
Leo and Alison restored and renovated a dilapidated whaling captain’s house on School Street in Edgartown before building their home overlooking Katama Bay, where they would live for the next 50 years. She threw fabulous parties and hosted an annual Christmas Eve open house that is a treasured memory for all who attended. Everywhere she lived, Alison created luxuriant flower gardens, designed maximalist interiors, collected art and beautiful antiques, and was always elegantly attired.
Alison was also a gifted businesswoman. She took over the Orient Trader after its owner died unexpectedly, then she started the Bosun’s Locker. After Alison’s aunt passed away and left her a house stuffed with furniture, Alison gathered four of her friends, Jane Norton, Midge Simonds, Judy Brugeire, and Bess Flynn Stone, and together they formed an antiques cooperative called Auntie’s Attic near the Triangle, which later transformed into Past and Presents, with Jane Norton and Carol Berger, on Main Street in Edgartown. Annually Alison and her partners traveled to England for antique-hunting trips. She was instrumental in renovating, decorating, and managing the Dunes in Katama, the Oak House Inn, and the Dockside Inn in Oak Bluffs.
Alison served as a director of the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust for more than 40 years, and was its president when the trust purchased and renovated the Flying Horses Carousel. She was instrumental in assisting the trust in its recent acquisition of the former mill house in West Tisbury. She served as a director for the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association (Old Sculpin Gallery) for more than 40 years, she was on the Edgartown finance board, was a director of the Vineyard Museum, and an active member of the Edgartown Antiques Club.
Leo and Alison are the longest extant members of the Edgartown Yacht Club. Leo and Alison loved traveling, and visited South America, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Japan. They sailed around the Caribbean with friends and family, and saw Greece and Italy from the deck of the Flying Cloud. They traveled with Leonard and Joyce Green on their boat to Tonga and the South Pacific. They were avid members of Volkswalkers, and trekked with groups all over Europe. For many years they wintered in Florida, enjoying the theater and culture and spending time with family before another whirlwind Vineyard summer.
Alison is survived by her devoted husband, Leo P. Convery, whom she married more than 70 years ago; her three children, Susan Convery, Leo P. Convery Jr., and Betsi Convery Luce; her eight grandchildren, Rachel Convery, Leo P. Convery III, Alex Luce, Brian Luce, Mackenzie Luce, Matthew Luce, Daniel Foltz, and Jack Foltz; and her brother, Peter McFarlin of Pomfret, Conn.
A memorial service will be held at St. Andrews Church in Edgartown, on Friday, Sept. 25, at 10 am, followed by a light luncheon in the Baylies Room of the Old Whaling Church at noon. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, her favorite charity, online at vineyardtrust.org/about/support-vpt.
If you are on-Island for Alison’s funeral, please take the opportunity to view Leo’s wood carvings, on display at the Carnegie Museum in downtown Edgartown until Oct. 17. Follow this link for the Vineyard Gazette article: bit.ly/VG_ConveryCarvings.
Please share photos and memories of Alison on this website: bit.ly/EL_AlisonConvery.
