Mikala Toni (Lopes) McCane, 48, of Onset, died March 15 at the West Roxbury Campus of the VA Healthcare System. She was the daughter of Anthony J. “Tiny” Lopes and the late Marie G. (Duarte) Lopes.

She was born in San Leandro, California and spent her early years in Oakland, California before moving to Hacienda Heights, California in 1980 where she attended school and graduated from Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, California, Class of 1986.

Mikala served in the U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Achieving the rank of sergeant, she served as quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer while deployed in Kuwait and Iraq. Upon her return from the Middle East, she enjoyed serving as her company’s Family Readiness Group co-leader and liaison. She was awarded nearly a dozen medals and citations, including a USA/USAF Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

After her honorable discharge in 2007, she moved to Onset to be closer to her family. There she returned to college, completing undergraduate work at Cape Cod Community College, and then at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where, in May 2015, she received a bachelor of science degree in human resource management. She also continued to be of service to her community by serving as a board member and/or volunteer for the Oak Grove Cape Verdean Cultural Center, the Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association, and the Onset Bay Association’s Summer of Love concert series. In the months before her illness, Mikala worked at the Royal Cape Cod Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Buzzards Bay.

An avid reader, one rarely saw Mikala without a book in her hand, her purse or back pocket. Murder mysteries, both fiction and non-fiction, were among her favorites.

Survivors include her son David A. Girten, Jr. of San Diego, California; a daughter D’Asia M. McCane of Onset; a son Alton J. McCane, IV of Onset; a grandson, Devin M. Girten of San Diego, California; her father, Anthony “Tiny” Lopes and step-mother Virginia Lopes of Cathedral City, California; a sister Tyra Lopes Mendes and her husband George Mendes III of Onset; step-brothers, David Scott of Onset and Steven Scott of Indianapolis, Indiana; and a step-sister Victoria Siksnus of Placentia, California. She is also survived by aunts, uncles and many cousins. Mikala was preceded in death by her mother, Marie G. (Duarte) Lopes of Oakland, California, and grandparents, Miguel and Lillian (Lopes) Chantre of Onset, and John and Matilda (Pina) Duarte of New Bedford.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, June 9, at St. Patrick’s Church, High Street, Wareham at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne. Visiting hours have been omitted.

Donations in Mikala’s memory may be made to the “Get D’Asia McCane to Becker College!” graduation fund at the following website: www.plumfund.com.

Arrangements by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Wareham. For directions and online guestbook, visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com.