Cora Medeiros died on Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 8, surrounded by her loving family at her home in Vineyard Haven.

She was predeceased by her husband Raul Medeiros Jr. and her son Steven Medeiros of Kennesaw, Ga. She is survived by her sons Paul Medeiros and his wife Laurie of Vineyard Haven and David Medeiros of Edgartown; daughters Joan Medeiros and her wife Anne of Webster, N.H., Kathy Rogers and her husband James of Vineyard Haven, and Gayla Medeiros and her partner Martin Moreis of Oak Bluffs. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren: Kara and Morgan Medeiros, Mathew and Kate Medeiros, Joanne Ritter and Steven Anderson, Adam and Jeremie Rogers, Ashley, Cory, and Amber Medeiros and Maxwell Moreis; and two great-grandchildren, William Raul Ritter and Jaxson Tyler Anderson.

Services were held on May 14 at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven. She was interred beside her husband and her son at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.

What follows is an edited eulogy written by her daughter Joan and read by her son David at the services.

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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood . . .

We have to say that writing about Mom, although easy because it was Mom, was challenging because it was Mom!

It would take forever to mention all she had given and done for not just us, her kids, but with her friends, her neighbors, all the school kids when we were growing up, her many colleagues through the years whether in business or in the making of a better town for us all. The elderly community has always had a special place in Mom’s heart and she knew they needed a place to call their own. So with great effort she put herself to work. She found the land, designed the building, obtained state funding to insure there was no cost to the taxpayers and was on the phone constantly with Ted Kennedy to make it all happen. So much pride, love and dedication went into her family, her home, her business, her town and the many people who surrounded her life. To be touched by the hand of Cora was a blessing and one that no one took lightly — unless of course you were one of her kids and totally messed up. We all shared in the unconditional love given from the great lady that we called Mom.

Growing up in our household was challenging at times when you had nine people fighting over one bathroom. Mom only gave birth to six of us, but we don’t ever remember not having an extra relative in the mix. All it took was for Mom to have one of her brainstorms and the next minute she was having Dad throw up a few plywood walls in the basement for a makeshift room for one of our off-Island cousins, or a visiting friend who was staying for the summer. No household with this many kids went without a few fights among us or a few daredevils. Mom got so used to it, that whenever we went just a bit too far, like playing Superman off the top of the garage and someone split a lip — she would calmly pull a cloth out of the kitchen drawer, wet it, slap it on the spot and say, “Hold it! Get in the car!” And off we’d go to see Dr. Frisch for a few stitches.

Every Fourth of July she would dress us in costumes and stick us on a float fighting for something new that the town needed.

At Thanksgiving dinner, there was always a place set at the table for any police officer who was working on the holiday. The house was never quiet. When my brother Steven decided he wanted to play football it was all good, until Mom heard that the athletic department didn’t have the funds for new uniforms and a team bus. Next thing you know, she had the building department at the high school putting up a shed on the football field. She got equipment donated and we stuffed more bags of popcorn and potato chips, and frosted more cupcakes than you could ever imagine. The we froze our assets off because like her, we were expected to work the booth and serve the fans who were here for the games. There was no stopping the drive and the spirit she had, when she was determined to make something happen. She brought the Harlem Globetrotters to town to raise money for the kids at school, created and ran the Tisbury Street Fair to raise money needed for the fire department or the police relief association. When Mom ran for office and became the first woman in the history of the town of Tisbury to hold that position, she did it proud. In the 17 years she served, she moved and shook this town. She wasn’t afraid to step up and challenge a wrong or make a trip down to Washington when they were giving out funds that she knew would better the town and save the taxpayers money.

Mom had a great sense of humor and loved to hear a good joke. On a good night when Steven came up for a visit, he’d take the floor and have Mom falling out of her chair. She was a diehard Patriots fan and with her boy Brady, she would never miss a game. She wasn’t much for drinking and never picked up a cigarette except when she dressed up like Phyllis Diller to take us kids trick or treating.

Taking a trip off-Island was a favorite — nothing better than a good shopping spree. As she started to retire, a trip to Foxwoods was always a great time and she could never pass up a good game of Bingo. Mom had the uncanny way of knowing what people needed, who needed it and how to get the job done. She was a driving force.

She left no stone unturned to find that silver lining of happiness for someone she loved or cared about. She was Mom to so many but she was all ours and we couldn’t have been prouder.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. She took the one less traveled by, and that made all the difference.