Marcia Baker died quietly in her Southington, Conn., home on Tuesday, August 26. She was 86, and for some years had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. With her were her two daughters and those who had cared for her during her illness.

Born Marcia Mann in Boston on Jan. 18, 1922, to Florence Dean and Raymond Mann, she grew up in Waban and Vineyard Haven. And it was on the Vineyard, at a USO dance that she met Robert E. Baker of Waterbury, Conn. Bob had been stationed by the Coast Guard on the Island as part of the wartime effort to guard against espionage or an enemy landing. They were married in 1943.

After the war, Marcia and Bob lived in Boston before moving to Hamden, Conn. In Connecticut, Bob managed a number of automobile dealerships for General Motors.

In 1975, they settled in Southington, and although Bob died the next year, Marcia chose to remain in their house, close to his family. She was also always at home on the Vineyard.

Marcia’s grandfather, George H. Dean, was the publisher of the Banks History of Martha’s Vineyard.

Throughout life, Marcia proudly carried her high school’s designation: Best Personality, and will be remembered for her sense of humor. Even this week, an old friend, reminiscing about their younger years on the Island, described Marcia as mischievous. She would also have chosen to be remembered for her singing voice, although her family recalls that she was forever unfamiliar with the lyrics.

She is survived by her children, Barbara Baker Burrows and Joanne Nugent, their husbands, Russell and James, and by four grandchildren: Christopher Elworthy, James Burrows, Bobbie-Jo Nugent and Sarah Burrows. Her sister, Barbara Hart, died on the Vineyard last year.

A private service for Marcia will be held at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven as well as a memorial gathering in Southington.

Donations in her memory would be welcomed by Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.