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
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This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.
The songs of Angels took Megan to see the face of God. May she have the peace she has been searching for. My deepest condolences to her family. Megan is gone, but remains in memories, that death cannot take away
I wish there was a way to counteract pain without the use of painkillers these deadly pills have taken the lives of so many whether through recreational or medical it doesnt matter though because they break so many families apart. I have experienced this firsthand not myself thank God. Its agonizing. My heart goes out to anyone who suffers.
As a community pharmacist, I often get caught in the middle, trying hard to convince patients to try alternatives to opiates or opiate/Benzo/muscle relaxers combos. Nobody thinks it will happen to them. I see people with chronic opiate use for years, dose rarely changes, filled like clockwork.
I battle addiction daily I am sober today (have been for 22 months)! Unfortunately my son was taken by his father, which wasn’t/isn’t the best situation. Long story but not going to go into it. My point is when u take a woman’s purpose, it causes them to “give up” and it makes getting sober and stayin sober more difficult. My heart is broken for her…
It Just breaks my heat to read this. As a parent who has also lost a son to addiction at 24 years of age I applaud your brave and honest story. What a great tribute to your beautiful daughter. We also never hid the fact that our son died from his addiction. He did not want to be an addict as no one does … we could see the depression it brought to him with it. Another case of being in and out of Rehabs and jail. I am so very sorry for your loss and want to thank you so much for sharing her story.
May she be resting in sweet peace and dancing with the angels. I hope you and your family can take some comfort in knowing her pain and fight is behind her And her children have a very special guardian angel.
RIP sweet angel.
I have never met Megan, but this obituary is a beautiful testament to the loving woman she must have been and serves as a much needed wake up call, to a country that seems blissful unaware of a dangerous situation.
My deepest condolences to Megans family, friends, and all who knew her. May Gods peace be with you all in this difficult time of celebrating her stolen life. May you be comforted in knowing that sharing her story may lead to help for those who are being robbed of their lives (or will be in the future).
That is so heartbreaking. We just lost our brother Chris on October 22. He fought his addiction hard for the past 8 years. Its devastating to say the least. Im so sorry for your loss.
My heart felt condolences to you and your family for the loss of your daughter, may God ease your pain. My family has known the power of the drug addiction in our middle son. He has fought his demons for over 18 years and it is just a vicious cycle. He handsome, smart and had a heart of gold. But his is a battle with xanax. Last March he spend the 5 day’s in ER ICU recovering from a near fatal overdose of this drug. After 7 months of being clean he relapsed, it cost him his job and almost everything he has. This is the cycle, he gets a good job, makes progress then another relapses again.
When take this drug, he doesn’t remember when he took one, then he takes more, last March he told 35 over a period of 48 hours.
He is seeking professional help this coming week.
Prayers and God Bless,
Sincerely, Terry Steward
I am so sorry for your loss. These programs have been available for awhile, but they are scattered.
It is said “in the rooms” that “some die that others might live,” which is not meant to be comforting, but to be awareness-building. Thank you for sharing your family’s story so openly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851019/
What a beautiful woman. Im so incredibly sorry for your loss. This obituary couldnt have been written any better. My brother passed away from an overdose and I had to write his obituary. I wish I had the strength and support to have written something more like this. The sad truth about losing our loved ones to this awful disease. I hope you and your family can find some comfort in the fact that she no longer is fighting one of the hardest fights out there. She can Rest In Peace. Sending love and light and hugs to your family and especially her children.