Meaghan Donnelly McGonagle, age 41, of Warwick, passed away on Thursday, December 16, 2021 at Kent Hospital in Warwick. Born in Providence, a daughter of Michael D. and Priscilla A. (Donnelly) McGonagle, she was raised in Warwick, and lived in Albany, New York before returning to Warwick 15 years ago. Meaghan was a 1998 graduate of Pilgrim High School in Warwick. She received her bachelor’s degree in business and education in 2002 from Siena College in Loudonville, NY. Meaghan was a teacher in the Cranston Public Schools since 2006, most recently at Cranston High School East, where she currently served as coach of the Boys and Girls Volleyball teams. She was previously the DECA coordinator at Cranston High School West, and earlier a basketball and volleyball coach at Guilderland High School in Guilderland, New York. Meaghan was an All State volleyball player and basketball player at Pilgrim High School, where she is still the all-time leading scorer for Girls Basketball. Her jersey, # 41, still hangs in the Pilgrim gymnasium. In 1996, her team won a state championship, and she was the Warwick Beacon Athlete of the Year in 1998. In college, she was a two-time captain of the Division I Siena College Women’s Basketball team, and won a MAAC Championship in 2001. She became the Girls Volleyball coach at Cranston High School East in 2013, and within three years led the team to an undefeated season and the school’s first ever volleyball State Championship. Later the same year, she took over as the Boys Volleyball coach and led them to an undefeated season, winning another State Championship. It was only the fourth time a high school won boys and girls titles in one academic year, and the second time a coach had gone undefeated in both seasons. Over the course of this stretch, her girls and boys volleyball teams won 55 straight games, one of the longest winning streaks in Rhode Island high school history. She was also named the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Coach of the Year for Girls and Boys Volleyball. In addition to her parents, she is survived by a son, Liam M. Holmes, and a daughter, Amelia C. Holmes, both of Warwick; a sister, Maura D. (McGonagle) Brown of Amawalk, NY; a brother, Michael D. McGonagle of Melbourne, FL; and nieces and nephews Ellie, Stephen, Marykate, Maggie, Jack, Cornelius, Kendrick, Brooklynne, Lauren, and Evan.. She also leaves her former husband, Matthew J. Holmes of Newport, and his parents, Jerry and Mary Holmes of Albany, NY. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, December 21, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Kevin Church, 333 Sandy Lane, Warwick. Face masks will be required. (The mass will be live-streamed on the parish website at: www.stkevin-stbenedict.org) The visiting hours and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Cranston High School East Volleyball Team, 899 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 02910. To leave condolence messages, please visit www.barrettandcotter.com.
