Megan (Bagley) Alley, a lifelong Island resident and longtime Oak Bluffs resident, died at the age of 90.
Born April 8, 1936, at the original Cottage Hospital in Oak Bluffs, she was raised in Vineyard Haven, by her father Gerald and mother Elizabeth, with her sisters Joyce and Ann, and later made her home in Oak Bluffs, marrying her high school sweetheart, Dennis Alley, in 1955.
Megan grew up during the Depression and World War II years, an era that shaped her values of faith, family, thrift, service, and community. She attended Tisbury School, played music and sports, and graduated from high school shortly after turning 17. She and Dennis raised three children, and her family grew to include 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
Megan worked and volunteered in several Island offices and institutions, including the Martha’s Vineyard Registry of Motor Vehicles, Oak Bluffs School, Oak Bluffs Select Board office, Oak Bluffs Police Department, and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She was the longtime and beloved Oak Bluffs town columnist for The Martha’s Vineyard Times. She was a parishioner of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church and loved singing in the choir for more than 30 years.
Megan is remembered for her devotion to God, family, friends, and town, and for her gratitude toward the many people and organizations that supported her family over the years. Megan leaves behind a large and loving family, including her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sisters, in-laws, goddaughter, and many friends.
Her parting wish was simple: “Be kind and help wherever you are needed.”
The family wishes to thank all her friends, caregivers, EMTs and community that helped make her last days full of love and peacefulness.
Visiting hours in the Chapman Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs, will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 5 to 7 pm. Her funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 11 am in St. Augustine’s Church, on Franklin Street in Vineyard Haven, and burial will follow in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, on Vineyard Avenue in Oak Bluffs.
In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a gift donation in Megan’s memory; please consider making a donation to the Portuguese-American (P.A.) Club benevolent or scholarship funds.
