Lois A. DeBettencourt

OAK BLUFFS — Lois A. DeBettencourt, of Oak Bluffs, died Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, after a short illness.

She leaves two sons, David of Oak Bluffs, and Jay and his wife Rebecca of Forestdale; a daughter-in-law, Laura of Oak Bluffs; along with five grandchildren. She was predeceased by both her husband John and son Peter. In addition to her immediate family, she leaves a large extended family and many, many close friends.

Born in North Dighton, Lois moved to Martha's Vineyard to become a teacher and never left. She married shortly after and became a fixture within the community. In addition to teaching, she was very active in Girl Scouts as both a leader and as an administrator. She also became very involved within her church, the Sacred Heart Parish of Oak Bluffs. She was the religious education coordinator for many years and taught the first communion class in addition to many other class levels. She held various offices within the Women's Guild and volunteered as both a lector and Eucharistic minister. She was awarded the prestigious Marian Medal in 1974.

When her boys were young, Lois was involved with both Scouts and Little League, and from day one she never missed either a game or an activity. As she got older, she enjoyed watching her grandchildren on the island, Lucas and Kelsey, participate in both sports and school activities, and traveled many miles with her grandsons, Julien, Jordan and Dylan, both playing and watching baseball, basketball and soccer games all over Massachusetts, and the past two summers has spent a week in Cooperstown, N.Y., watching baseball games.

Family was very important to Lois, and she was the matriarch of her family, which extended over many generations. She helped organize numerous family reunions and get-togethers on a regular basis for both sides of her family.

Her recent years have found her either working at the town clerk's office in Oak Bluffs, having lunch at Linda Jeans or golfing on the links at Mink Meadows. She will be missed by all.

Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 13, at 11 a.m., in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Massasoit Avenue, Oak Bluffs. There will be visiting hours in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs, on Monday, May 12, from 4 to 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that tax-deductible donations be made to the Peter DeBettencourt Family Fund, c/o MV Savings Bank, PO Box 610, West Tisbury, MA 02575.

Visit www.ccgfuneralhome.com for online guest book and information.