M. Joanne Cleary died May 14 at the Windemere Nursing Home in Oak Bluffs after a lengthy illness.

Joanne was the wife of James Cleary, a resident of the Taunton Nursing Home in Taunton.

Joanne was born in Taunton to her parents, the late George H. and Josephine Belanger White. She was married for 50 years.

She was a waitress at the Moonbeam and Ann’s Place in Norton and also at Edmunds Restaurant in Easton. She was also known for her love of the beach and ocean, spending every summer on the Vineyard since relocating there in 1972. She was active in the schools and local community.

She was a member of St. Joseph’s Women’s Guild of Taunton, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and was often a chaperone for many school outings. The line was always longer at her register in the school cafeteria as the kids knew that she would loan them lunch money if needed, and she would always make sure it was paid back as well. She was a postmistress at the West Chop post office several summers and many summers worked at Shirley’s Hardware.

In keeping with her love for the beach and sunshine, she and Jim became snowbirds in 1987. They traveled from the Vineyard to Bonita Springs, Fla., every winter. There they had a trailer at Imperial Bonita Estates Park. She enjoyed her retired life playing shuffleboard and bowling with friends.

Spending the past five years on the Vineyard, the Island she loved, Joanne died surrounded by her family.

Besides her husband Jim, she leaves her children and spouses: Janice and Richard Bowles, James (Jay) Jr. and Maryellen Cleary, Joseph Cleary, Jeffrey and Noreen Cleary, Jerilyn Cleary Dube and Ray Rochon; her grandchildren Ryland, Alexz, and Taylor Bowles, Patrick, Jackie and Peter Cleary, Jaime Bodreau and Nicole Cleary, James Cleary, and Brian and Heather Dube; her siblings Robert White of Vernon, Conn., Paula Driscoll of Norton, Janice Creeden of Naples, Fla.; several nieces and nephews and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial Mass will be held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m. with a reception following at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.

A funeral service will be held at the O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home, 70 Washington street, in Taunton on Monday, May 19, at 10 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Joseph’s Church in Taunton at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to visiting hours on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. Interment is scheduled for the family lot in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Taunton.

Donations in Joanne’s memory may be made to Alzheimer’s research at alzheimers-research.org.