Marcia Joan McCabe Wilbur, 79, passed away suddenly at Rhode Island Hospital on Monday, March 17, 2025. Born in Providence,, she was the daughter of Chief Judge Francis J. McCabe and Mary Ellen (O’Leary) McCabe. She was the devoted wife of Michael F. Wilbur for fifty-two years.
Marcia was a lifelong resident of the East Side of Providence. She spent summers at her family summer home, Bit O’Heaven, on the south shore cliffs of Block Island, Rhode Island. The Island was, without question, the place she loved most in this world. She attended St. Sebastian’s School and Elmhurst Academy, Convent of the Sacred Heart. She was a 1963 graduate of the Mary C. Wheeler School in Providence. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University, and her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1971. She was a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association for fifty-four years.
Marcia began her law career as legal counsel to the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. After the birth of her daughter, Mary Alice, she maintained a small private practice focusing on conservation, land use, and environmental law.
She was a member of Wannamoisett Country Club for over forty years. She was also a member of the Block Island Club and served as Secretary of the Board of Trustees for many years. Marcia was a lifelong communicant of the Church of St. Sebastian in Providence and St. Andrew Parish on Block Island. She remained actively involved in alumni activities and organizations at Boston College Law School.
Her greatest blessing in life was her grandson, John, who arrived ten years ago on her birthday. She was a devoted and loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and friend. Words cannot describe how much she will be missed by all those who loved her.
She is survived by her husband, Michael F. Wilbur of Providence; her daughter, Mary Alice Wilbur-Daly, Esq. and her husband, Dr. Brian P. Daly of Providence; her beloved grandson, John McCabe Daly of Providence; her sister and dearest friend, Mary Ellen McCabe Cannon, Esq. of Providence; and her brother, Dr. Francis J. McCabe, Jr. and his wife Paola of Cushing, Maine.
A mass of Christian burial will be held in the Church of St. Sebastian Providence, Rhode Island, followed by burial at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island. These services will be private. A celebration of life will be held during the summer of 2025 at St Andrew Church, Block Island, Rhode Island with reception to follow. Friends and family are welcome to attend this gathering. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Marcia’s name to the Mary D Fund, PO Box 323, Block Island, Rhode Island 02807. Please make a notation that your donation is in memory of Marcia McCabe Wilbur.
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