ALYCE ELIZABETH GOWDY WRIGHT ESQ

GOWDY WRIGHT, Alyce Elizabeth, Esq. Age 43, died peacefully surrounded by the love of her family and dearest friends on May 8, 2018. Alyce was born in Boston to Alphonse Wright and the Rev. Nannene Gowdy. She had one sibling, Alphonse V. Wright. In September 2016, she married Mark Destler. They became the proud parents of Griffin G.W. Destler, age 1. Alyce earned a BA in Anthropology at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She received her Doctor of Laws degree at Boston College Law School in 2016, earning the Sheila McGovern Award for Achievement of Personal Goals under Extraordinary Circumstances. Alyce was a warrior for justice. She led countless labor, LGBTQ, faith-based, fair housing and immigration justice organizations and efforts in North Carolina; Miami, Florida; Washington, DC; and Boston, MA. She enrolled in law school at 38 in order to continue the fight for labor, housing, and immigrant rights. Following graduation, she served as a clerk for Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Geraldine S. Hines and then joined the firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish as an Associate in their Real Estate division. Her passion for justice was rooted in deep faith. Raised in the Unitarian Universalist churches where her mother served, Alyce spent formative years working in the Unitarian Universalist Association's Social Justice Office in Washington DC. She saw organizing as faith in action: affirming the dignity of each individual while creating meaningful relationships among them. She demonstrated this in her leadership and in her devoted participation in recovery and cancer support communities. For this she is loved and cherished by countless friends and colleagues across the country. Alyce Gowdy Wright was a force of nature. In 43 years she made the world a better, kinder, and more just place. She is deeply missed. Alyce leaves behind her husband, Mark, and their son, Griffin (Roslindale, MA); her beloved biological and step-parents (Nannene (Pepperell, MA), Alphonse (New Britain, CT), Carl Schilling (Pepperell, MA), and Krista Swanson (Cortez, CO)); her brother, Alphonse V., and his spouse, Sassy Outwater Wright (Salem, MA); her best friends Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz (Hyattsville, MD) and Hernando Del Castillo (Miami, FL); and a host of cherished in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. The family welcomes all who knew and loved Alyce to attend services – 3:00 PM on May 20th at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational (11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138) – and keep their eyes open for a celebration of her life to be held in September. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in Alyce's memory to Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity [BOLD]. This may be done online (boldorganizing.org/donate) or by mail (BOLD C/O Praxis Project,|1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Ste. 201 | Washington DC 20036). P.E. Murray - F.J. Higgins George F. Doherty & Sons West Roxbury 617 325 2000