Megan Angelina Webbley, 31, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 29. Specifically, she died of an overdose, finally losing her battle with addiction. She was in Manchester, N.H., seeking treatment for her addiction. We have no clear picture of what went wrong. Megan leaves behind her mother, Dorothy Provenzano, of Boca Raton, Fla.; her father, Edwin Webbley, of Middlebury, Vt.; and her brother, Michael Henderson, of Los Angeles, Calif.; as well as many loving cousins, aunts and uncles. She also left behind four beautiful children who were collectively the light of her dark life.
Though shadowed by opiate addiction, Megan enjoyed a big smile and an infectious laugh. She loved all kinds of music, dancing and doing her makeup. Empathetic in the extreme, she was the underdog’s biggest advocate. And against all circumstances, when she could be, she was a loving, gentle and doting mother. Just last year, she spent a few hours in the pool with all four kids (the youngest has since been adopted by a loving family), and it was a rollicking, madcap outing featuring a waterslide and peals of laughter. It was at that point when she was the happiest we had seen her in years.
Megan grew up in St. Albans and Georgia, Vt., participating in dance and swimming. She proved to be an adventuresome reader and a fearless jumper off cliffs. But on July 1, 2005, she was once again at a cliff on Eagle Bay in Burlington. I was sitting at my desk on the first day of a new job, and a Vermont State Policeman called to tell me to drive to the emergency room at the University of Vermont Medical Center. I was told that she had been pushed off the cliffs and hit the rocks below … with her face. Having been rescued by a man in a kayak and EMTs, she was being stitched up, and her jaw was wired shut. They suspected a TBI, but when they prescribed her liberal doses of opiates, she lost control of her life. She would be in and out of rehab — and jail — for the next 14 years.
To editorialize, I am hoping that the Department for Children and Families rethinks its mission to be the punisher of addicted mothers, the separator of families and the arbiter of children’s futures, and instead embrace a mission of enhanced rehabilitation. We, as a state, are overwhelmed by addiction. We have almost nowhere to turn. I encourage enhanced funding for treatment in general and using DCF as a gateway for mothers with addiction to get help. Because, as one would guess, once the mother is separated from her children, desperation sets in, even with the brightest and most determined of mothers — and Megan Angelina Webbley was that bright and determined mother … with a fatal disease and a dearth of treatment options.
—Submitted by Megan’s father
Related Stories
Obituary: Edwin Perry Webbley, 1954-2021
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.
Same happened to me. I was in a car accident and they was given me pills. I was 12? I’m 46 an still fighting. I know with God I can do all things. This is sad Praying peace through the family
When a mama loses they’re children a piece of they’re heart is gone. How can we go on without our heart?! We can’t. I didn’t. For a long time i didn’t. God gave me another chance at being a full-time mom again and I’m 24 days clean today! I will continue my fight for sobriety in her honor and every other mother fighting thus same fight!
So sorry for your loss. Im fighting this same battle with my daughters. God bless . sending prayers
I am so extremely sorry for your loss. It makes me sad and sick to my stomach to read this obit. I too am a recovering addict and mourning the loss of my 8 year old daughter. DCF took her from my entire family April of 2016. Visits were framed “emotionally damaging” even though I was clean and had been for some time. My parental rights were terminated last year. I haven’t been allowed to see my daughter in over 2 years. Zero contact. Mind you, I’ve been lucky enough to stay out if jail (but have been arrested and convicted countless times) and, shocking to some, I have never committed a violent crime. My felonies were forging prescriptions. But, DCF was determined to rip her away from us completely. Even my parents haven’t been allowed to see her.. Bc of my addiction problem. DCF needs to be handled. This is happening all over the country try (I live in Massachusetts). We need to come away from punishing an illness and start supporting recovery! And one simply can never fully recover without their children and families.
God bless you all.
Tragic and sad
I’m wondering what happened to the rest of the children if the baby has been adopted out? Wouldn’t you want to keep them together?
Thank you and the people who shared memories of this beautiful young woman.
I feel compelled to reply to this, although I know there really aren’t any words for your pain and loss. I also agree that more help is needed and as long as the children aren’t in danger it would be more beneficial to keep the family together and give rehab and support as a family unit. No one benefits from being shamed, it has the opposite reaction.
Sending prayers, love, strength, comfort and peace to everyone.
Thank you for sharing Megan’s story
My heart breaks. I wish her peace after her life of struggling.
Someone please look at the place she was living in .
I am so sorry. Your family is not alone…
Sending strength & prayers to her children & her dad. May she Rest in the Sweetest of Peace
Addiction is a horrible disease & we need to help!!!!