Virginia Comley

Background

Virginia Comley was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. She graduated from Waltham High School and went to work at New England Telephone and Telegraph Company until 1956. In 1953, she married James F. Comley and moved to Bedford, Massachusetts. The couple founded an elevator service and repair business in 1968 and then bought and sold several other companies to form what is now known as Embree Elevator. Virginia retired from the company in 1998 after 30 years serving as co-founder, secretary and bookkeeper. Virginia was a long-standing member of St. Michael's Parish, a member of the Bedford Garden Club and a supporter of several charities, including The Theatre Museum, Central Park Conservancy's Women's Committee, The Actors Fund and The Hampton Classic, among others. Virginia is an Honorary Alumnae of UMASS Lowell, where there is an endowed scholarship in her name.

Education

Virginia Keefe graduated from Waltham High School

Career

1948 to 1956 New England Telephone and Telegraph Company - switch board operator, Supervisor

1968 - 1972 Co-founder and co-owner of City Elevator

1972 - 1998 - Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Embree Elevator - secretary, book keeper Retired in 1998

Religion

Virginia (Keefe) Comley was a long standing member of St. Michael's Parish of Bedford, Massachusetts - Catholic Church

Membership

• 

  Virginia (Keefe) Comley was a member of The Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy. The Women's Committee is a community of New York City's Central Park enthusiasts who raise funds to preserve the nature and beauty of Central Park. With a membership of 1,000, the Women’s Committee has made a lasting impact on the well-being of the Park and its millions of visitors. Virginia's favorite event for the Women's Committee was the annual The Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon, the premier luncheon in New York City, also known as the Ladies' Hat Luncheon. The luncheon is held in the Conservatory Garden in Central Park behind the Vanderbilt Gates at 105th Street and Fifth Avenue.

  Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee , New York

  2003 - 2013

• 

  Virginia (Keefe) Comley was a long standing member and volunteer at St Michael's Parish in Bedford, Massachusetts

  St. Michael's Parish - Catholic Church , Bedford

  1953 - 2019

• 

  Virginia (Keefe) Comley was a member of The Bedford Garden Club from 1975 to 2015. Virginia served on various committees including the Geranium Sale at Bedford Day, Arbor Day at the Bedford Public School System, and as a volunteer for the planting and maintaining of the Bedford public area gardens.Virginia was a gardening enthusiast who designed the landscape of her two acre property in The Bedford Historic District with rhododendrons imported from The Comley Florists of Bedford and Lexington and indigenous wild flowers of New England. The Bedford Garden Club is a member of the Middlesex District of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc.The purpose of The Bedford Garden Club is to stimulate among amateurs the knowledge and love of gardening, the protection of native trees and plants, and encouragement of civic planting.

  The Bedford Garden Club , Bedford

  1975 - 2015

• 

  Virginia (Keefe) Comley was a volunteer at The Theatre Museum Awards and a donor/ patron of The Theatre Museum.The Theatre Museum is a non-profit educational corporation operating with a provisional charter granted by the NYS Department of Education in 2003. The museum functions as a museum-at-large with exhibits rotating in public spaces throughout New York City.

  The Theatre Museum , New York

  2009 - 2011

Connections

Mother:

Agnes Keefe

Agnes Martha Eagan Keefe is the mother of Virginia Keefe Comley

Spouse:

James Comley

Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient, James Fay Comley, is the husband of Virginia Comley

Brother:

Joseph Keefe

Joseph P. Keefe is the brother of Virginia Keefe Comley

References

• UMass Lowell Alumni Award Virginia (Keefe) Comley was presented with an Honorary Alumni Award by UMass Lowell Chancellor, Jacqueline Moloney in 2018
• MAJOR NEW SCHOLARSHIP HONORS VIRGINIA AND JAMES COMLEY Scholarship at UMass Lowell names in honor of Virginia Comley and James F. Comley. Hard work is a Comley family value. In 1968, Virginia and James Comley of Bedford founded their own elevator service and repair business, and over the next four decades built it into one of the largest companies in New England. They also raised four children, and taught them the value of working and studying hard. “Nothing,” Virginia says, “beats a great education.
• Virginia Comley - Boston Globe Obituary Virginia Comley - Boston Globe Obituary: Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Embree Elevator dies at 89 years old. Comley was a long time member and volunteer of The Bedford Garden Club, St Michael's Parish, Humane Society and Animal Shelter among others.