Maggie F. Conway A Legacy of Service

On February 14th, 2026 Maggie Conway, a life long community leader and nurse, passed away. She leaves behind a loving family and a legacy of community service her family hopes to honor and continue. Maggie Conway moved to Rockland from where she grew up in Florida in the 40s/50s to work as a nurse at Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg. Upon getting married and having children, she knew that the staff quarters at the hospital were far too small for her growing family. 

At first, Conway and her family resided in a post-WW2 house built on Camp Shanks and used as housing for Americans after the war. The federal government offered that housing for purchase by its residents, but people of color were excluded from this. Conway instead bought her family a home at the edge of Rockland State Hospital’s campus and became a family care home provider to patients discharged from the hospital who still needed care. The Maggie Conway House, as it’s now known, is currently operated by Loeb House, a non-profit dedicated to housing those with special needs who cannot live on their own. She took care of men and women of color in Rockland who, due to racist attitudes and policies of the time, had nowhere else to go. A plaque officially commemorating the site was to be placed on the property, but progress is still pending. 

As a community leader, Conway organized and galvanized thousands of voters who worked for Rockland State Hospital and helped establish the Rockland Employees Federal Credit Union, which currently serves almost 8,000 members. Her family is continuing her activism through the Maggie K. Conway Memorial Fund. They hope to raise $25,000 to put toward tutoring low income students, rent support for the recently unemployed, and resources for women fleeing abuse. Her son said she was always kind and patient with her children and charges. Those who wish to support these endeavors can do so at givebutter.com/MaggieKConwayFund. The family will match every dollar donated until they hit $10,000.