Alicia Gervais died Dec. 7 after a two-and-a half-year battle with breast cancer. She was 54.

Growing up, her family often vacationed in Oak Bluffs. She attended one year of high school on the Island. While in college, she decided to live the rest of her life for the Lord. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business from North Central College in Illinois, she began a career in modeling. She exercised her Christian faith by listing herself as not available for ads for lingerie, alcohol or tobacco. She excelled, appearing in many television and print ads. She was the first African-American to appear in the Land’s End catalogue and appeared on the cover of the Eddie Bauer catalogue.

When her first child was born, she put her energy into motherhood, placing great emphasis on the education of her children. She home schooled her children for several years. She was always interested in anything that would benefit the children.

Alicia had a keen interest in which foods to eat, gardening and enjoyed the outdoors. She worked as an assistant librarian at the Oak Bluffs and West Tisbury libraries.

She is survived by her children, Hunter and Christiana Wolff of Miami, Fla., her husband Joe of West Tisbury, her parents Alonzo and Marcia Thompson of Dunedin, Fla., and Naperville, Ill., her sister Sonya Thompson of Chicago as well as many other family and friends.

Services will be held at the Revival Church of the Nation, 60 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road (next to MVTV) in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, Dec. 16 at noon.

Interment will follow in the West Tisbury Cemetery.