Obituary : Jonathan H. Churchill
Jonathan Hand Churchill, 78, died March 26, in New York City due to complications from Lewy Body Disease.
A lifelong summer resident of West Tisbury, he was the son of Mary Hand Darrell and John Dwight Winston Churchill; and a stepson of Katharine Emmet Churchill. He was a grandson of Judge Learned Hand and the American author, Winston Churchill.
He was a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After serving in the U.S. Army, he practiced corporate law in New York City. He is remembered fondly on Martha’s Vineyard and elsewhere as an avid sailor who took pleasure in cruising and racing his 1926 Q boat “Taygeta” and the 1979 trimaran “Moxie.” He navigated Moxie’s record-breaking win (64 hours, 48 minutes) in the 1987 Newport Bermuda Multihull Race. He is survived by his wife, Judith Gaebel Churchill; and stepbrothers Norris Darrell Jr. of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., and Edgartown, Richard W. Darrell of Ft. Myers, Fla., Cass Canfield Jr., of New York City and Vineyard Haven.
A private memorial service will be held in New York City.
Donations in his memory may be made to Central Park Conservancy (centralparknyc.org) or Sail Martha’s Vineyard (sailmv.com).
