Nancy G. Steves died on April 26 at her home in Chilmark. She was surrounded by many of her children and grandchildren along with her husband, Richard E. Steves. Nancy and Richard would have celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary on April 29.

Nancy was born on March 4, 1928 in Paterson, N.J. She was the daughter of Harriet and John Griebel. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she married John (Jack) A. Toomey and started her family of four children. In 1972, she married Richard and enlarged her family to 11 children. Nancy worked for many years in retail management, mostly for Federated Stores, including Bloomingdales and Macy’s.

Nancy and Richard moved to Martha’s Vineyard from Houston, Tex., in 1984 when they purchased the Menemsha Inn. Together, they managed and rebuilt the inn into a very successful business. The business was sold in 2000 when Alzheimer’s disease overcame Nancy.

Shortly after moving to the Island, Nancy joined Women’s Support Services (now Connect to End Violence) as a volunteer. She was an advocate for civil rights, attending the march on Washington with Martin Luther King and staunchly opposing the Viet Nam war during the 1960s and the Gulf War in the early 1990s.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Richard; her children, Elizabeth Toomey of Chilmark, Linda Toomey-Steves Gunderson of New Haven, Conn., Mark Hall and Kevin Hall of West Palm Beach, Fla., Woody Steves of Los Angeles, Calif., Sean Steves of Aquinnah, Laurie Grelle of Denver, Pa., Katie Jordan of Edgartown and James Steves of Vineyard Haven; 14 grandchildren; and her sisters Jacquelyn Barnes of New York, N.Y., and Elizabeth Hansen of Evanston, Ill. She was predeceased by her daughter Susan Barrett and her son John Toomey.

A celebration of her life will be held on May 9 at noon at the Chilmark Community Center. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in her name be made to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or Connect to End Violence at Community Services, 111 Edgartown Road Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.