Oct. 1: Rita P. Gale
Rita worked at the Black Dog on Beach Road and State Road in Vineyard Haven. She loved her customers, and the celebrations that she catered, making friendships that lasted a lifetime.
Oct. 1: Terry Iadicicco Lowe, 58
Terry had an unparalleled passion and enjoyment for her work; always excited, looking forward to another day of new challenges as practice manager and veterinary technician at Animal Health Care Associates. Her lifelong affection and avocation for animals made this position her perfect niche.
Oct. 3: Karel O. Mattison, 80, Edgartown and Vero Beach, Fla.
During summers, and later when she had retired to the Vineyard, Karel continued her volunteer work, serving as president of the Chappaquiddick Beach Club, and on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club and the Edgartown Golf Club, and leading tours at Polly Hill Arboretum.
Oct. 3: Rebecca J. Gonsalves, 69, Vineyard Haven
Oct. 3: April Cimeno, 36, Vineyard Haven
Oct. 4: Arnold L. (“Arnie”) Reisman, 79, Vineyard Haven
Oct. 5: Ralph Franklin, 101, Florida
Oct. 5: Robert I. (“Bob”) Boak, 102, Oak Bluffs
Oct. 7: Betsy Clark McIsaac, 91, Pittsford, N.Y., and West Tisbury
Betsy arrived in West Tisbury in 1968, and built her beloved summer home at the top of Town Cove in 1971. Her summers here — she never missed one — were filled with joy and the love of family, friends, and place.
Oct. 7: Frances Mae (“Frannie”) Gentle, 82, Edgartown
Frannie spent many of her early years over on Chappaquiddick Island during the summer months with her grandparents, relatives, and friends.
Oct. 8: Haydin and Haizlei Hayes
Oct. 12: Frank Welch, 90
Frank was well-known for his building skills, specializing in maintenance and repair. He could be seen over the years working on various buildings on the Vineyard: Mad Martha’s, Brickman’s, Rainy Day, and the harbormaster’s booth in Menemsha. He was particularly proud of the house he built with his second wife, Virginia, where they raised two daughters, and where he lived until his death.
Oct. 12: Carol P. (“Dede”) Gadd, 71
Dede spent wonderful childhood summers in Chilmark, and came as much as she could throughout her life, and in the past 32 years with her significant other, John Bower.
Oct. 13: Antone M. Maseda Jr., 91, Oak Bluffs
Antone was a volunteer Oak Bluffs firefighter for 20 years, and was a member of the American Legion of Vineyard Haven. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed going shellfishing. He enjoyed hosting many clam boils at his home with family and friends.
Oct. 14: Pauline (“Polly”) Renear, 92, Oak Bluffs
At the invitation of her classmate and Vineyard resident Jetta Entwistle, Polly came to work at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for the summer. She met the love of her life on her second day, and they were married less than six months later, in November.
Oct. 14: Dale Rogers, 62, Oak Bluffs
Dale was a standout basketball and tennis player, and honed his skills on the courts of Niantic Park in Oak Bluffs, which was the source of sports for many Oak Bluffs boys. There they formed tight friendships that have lasted throughout their lives, with many of them and their fans still wearing their purple Niantic Park T-shirts.
Oct. 15: Chappell Cory III, 78, Oak Bluffs
Chap was unflappable, particularly sitting in his Cessna 172 with frequent hardball IFR conditions at MVY, before the days of GPS.
Oct. 16: Evelyn Clegg, 78, Norwell
Evelyn loved walking to Stonewall Beach, and spent many an hour exploring the natural habitats on the Island and throughout Eastern Massachusetts.
Oct. 17: Arlene M. Kastler, 90
In 1994, Arlene and her husband John moved to Edgartown, after having summered on the Vineyard since 1970. While there, she was active in the Edgartown Yacht Club and the Chappaquiddick Beach Club.
Oct. 19: Mary Ann Bradley, 85
In retirement, Mary Ann continued to give of herself to many causes and groups, as a mentor and board member for Partners for Youth with Disabilities, volunteer for the Windemere Nursing Care Facility as a reader for residents, a receptionist and fundraiser for Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Windemere Long-Term Care Facility, and volunteer receptionist for Oak Bluffs Senior Center.
Oct. 20: William Stewart
William was a compelling panelist and speaker when the UU Society undertook to become a Welcoming Congregation. He made the point that he, for one, was not waiting around hoping to be tolerated. Non-straight people perform many high-risk functions for a society, including creating cutting-edge art, caring for those who fall through the cracks of “family,” and speaking truth to power. “You need us,” he said.
Oct. 22: Maxwell R. McCreery, 83, Chilmark
Max and his wife Connie spent their summers on (and retired to) their family property in Chilmark, where he woke up to countless “PVDs” (Perfect Vineyard Days), and sincerely and boisterously appreciated every single one. He taught many of his 18 nieces and nephews how to windsurf on Chilmark Pond, countless kids how to shoot a basketball, and enjoyed wonderful music made by family.
Oct. 24: Joan S. Wilson, 85, Oak Bluffs
Oct. 26: Mary Ann Kulhavik, 81, Oak Bluffs
Oct. 29: Donald F. Hill, 94, Oak Bluffs
Donald taught himself to swim in Lagoon Pond with a Red Cross book he had checked out of the library, and later he learned how to sail in a similar way. He loved nature, and he taught his family to row, canoe, back up a trailer, and pitch a tent.
Oct. 30: Ruth Immelt Anderson, 98, Oak Bluffs
Ruth and her husband Carl devoted much time and effort to helping out at Trinity United Methodist Church in the Campground.
Oct. 31: Kent Healy, 89, West Tisbury
On his own volition, Kent measured and tracked the Vineyard water tables for over 50 years, and supervised the health of the Tisbury Great Pond.
Nov. 3: Joan Karasik, 103
Nov. 6: Ann Louise Whitcomb Scotten, 83
In 1992, Ann returned to her first passion, classroom teaching. She was hired by Superintendent Dr. Herbert Custer for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. After arriving at Martha’s Vineyard, she married the principal of the high school, Dr. Greg Scotten. She was quickly recognized for her classroom skills, and became a favorite teacher.
Nov. 8: June Manning, 74, Aquinnah
As an elder of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), a longtime historian and collector of knowledge, and a champion and teacher of Wampanoag culture, the impact of her death was felt across the Island.
Nov. 8: Winifred E. Tate, 99, Vineyard Haven
She loved sitting in the sun, walking, reading, and riding all over the Island, often in her son-in-law Bob’s powder blue ’64 Galaxie convertible.
Nov. 10: Carol Besse Eno, 75, Vineyard Haven
Carol grew up racing Vineyard 15s and Solings at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club with her brother Stephen Besse and sister Anne Besse Shepherd, alongside many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.
Nov. 11: Paul J. Watts, 71, Long Island, Maine
Nov. 13: Stephen W. Miller, M.D., Edgartown
In 1998, at the request of the Massachusetts General Hospital radiology department chairman, Dr. Miller was asked to set up the newly created MGH radiology practice at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, where he was appointed M.V. Hospital chief of diagnostic imaging.
Over the years the Miller family, like so many before them, proved a quote by Emily Post to be quite true: “To see the Island is to be enchanted, and to linger even for a while is to become unwilling ever to go completely away.” Weekend getaways evolved into weeklong vacations, summer house rentals, buying land, and building a Cape in Edgartown, which over time with additions became the year-round home.
Nov. 14: Kathleen Sally Berard
Sally raised many Vineyard children in the home daycare she proudly ran for 26 years. She changed many kids’ lives, teaching them love, respect, and to enjoy life with fun times! Be silly!
Nov. 16: Robert C. (“Bob”) de Lisle, 86, Edgartown
Nov. 16: Masayuki Hirai (“Mas”) Kimball, 72
Over the years, Mas taught at Hudson Valley in Hastings, N.Y. (the tennis club I’d spent so many weekends at!), and Island Inn Tennis and Farm Neck Tennis, both in Martha’s Vineyard. He was named Pro of the Year in 2001, and the plaque always hung in his office.
Nov. 17: Dr. Diane Demarest Becker, 78, Baltimore, Md.
Diane worked tirelessly and led a grassroots team from 2003 to 2006 to produce the Martha’s Vineyard Health Report. It is hard to imagine a more selfless, wise, devoted, and inspiring captain of our team. She cared deeply about Martha’s Vineyard, the people who live here, and the healthcare institutions that sustain us. Diane believed that the Martha’s Vineyard Health Report was one of the most comprehensive studies of any American community’s health and healthcare assembled in the last 40 years.
Nov. 18: Louise Neuhoff, 91, Edgartown and North Palm Beach, Fla.
In 1970, Louise and her husband Roger bought the Sandbox, a small beachfront house on Chappaquiddick, several doors down from the Chappy Beach Club. They were among the founding members of the Royal Chappaquiddick Yacht Club, a good-natured spoof on the Edgartown Yacht Club that famously one year fired a tiny cannon at the EYC race committee boat, which to everyone’s delight fired back. The fun-loving RCYC members also founded their own watering hole at the Chappy Beach Club, which they dubbed the Crab Hole. A painting by Vance Packard of the Crab Hole endures as proof positive of summers well spent.
Nov. 21: Laurence A. Mercier, 81, Edgartown
Nov. 24: Warren Cecil Morse, 82
In retirement, Warren and Judy moved to Martha’s Vineyard. A great day on the Vineyard often involved clamming (his license plate was “CLAMAH”), or some other type of island exploration and adventure.
Nov. 24: Elizabeth Jane McFarland Kehoe, 89, Mays Landing, N.J.
Nov. 28: John T. Hughes, 99
To the Vineyard community, John was a civic leader involved in the startup of Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, fundraising for musical instruments for kids in the Tisbury and up-Island schools, and helping to create Tisbury’s Veterans’ Memorial Park. To the members of Farm Neck, he was the unassuming golfer who shot four holes in one, and shot his age for many years after 75.
Nov. 28: Thomas (“Alden”) Norton, 95, Oak Bluffs
Alden was a jack-of-all-trades, working for many years for Morrice Florist; painting model boats for the Van Riper Boat Shop on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven; and working for the town of Tisbury highway and water departments. He was like his father: If you needed something fixed, Alden could fix it. He played saxophone for the Town Band, and was an avid ham radio operator, and a talented woodcarver.
Nov. 30: Richard Gleason, 84, Vineyard Haven
Richard was a seasonal manager for the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission, keeping the beaches and the piping plovers safe from too many tourists. After his second retirement, he served the children of the Island as a crossing guard for the Martha’s Vineyard schools, and helped at the Edgartown movie theater, on occasion, for the free popcorn.
Nov. 30: Jane M. Puetthoff, 74, Vineyard Haven
Dec. 2: Carla M. Furtaw, 57, Vineyard Haven
Carla worked at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital maternity ward for many years, where she would develop some of her strongest friendships. At a very young age, Carla loved babies, so becoming a maternity nurse was a natural choice. She took such joy in helping and supporting families as they welcomed their new babies into the world.
Dec. 4: Robert Levine, 84
Bob loved spending time on the golf course at Farm Neck during retirement and watching the nesting osprey. He enjoyed art and helped to restore model ships for Islanders.
Dec. 5: Geraldine (“Gerry”) Norton Pinto, 92, Oak Bluffs
Gerry grew up and spent most of her life on Martha’s Vineyard, working for many years as a telephone operator. She married Reginald Pinto in 1969, and they lived most of their married life in her childhood home on Daggett Avenue in Vineyard Haven.
Dec. 9: Roger Erickson, 82
Roger and his wife Johanna owed a house on Look Street in Vineyard Haven for more than 40 years, and Roger attended the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard in the summers, while his wife, Johanna, sold her handwoven rugs and knitted items at the Artisan Fairs.
Dec. 9: David Mercer, 60
Dec. 10: Noel Orcutt, 92, Edgartown
Noel took special pride in his role as a father and grandfather. Whether it was taking the family to swim at Bend in the Road Beach, games of catch in the backyard, or attending the school athletic events of his children, his greatest joy was the time he spent with family. Visiting Grandpa was a highlight of every summer for his grandchildren. Seafood dinners, dessert at the Dairy Queen, and watching the Red Sox each night were traditions that were cherished.
Dec. 12: Ann P. Sylvia, 88, East Falmouth
Dec. 12: Charles Frederick (“Charlie”) Flathers, 85, Vineyard Haven
Dec. 13: Barbara A. Alconada, 86, Oak Bluffs
After her husband Joe’s death, she was active with the Up-Island COA and her granddaughter Amanda’s many activities. The two were often seen together at many Vineyard Independence Partnership get-togethers.
Dec. 14: Tristan L. Morrison, 48, Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 18: Anita C. Cimeno, 88, Oak Bluffs
Anita was truly one of the hardest-working and most dedicated women. She devotedly raised her eight children while working in long-term care at M.V. Hospital. Even while working overnight hours, she provided the most love to her family.
Dec. 18: Pierre Bonneau, 57, Vineyard Haven
Dec. 20: John Alaimo, 81
John, free to focus on his music vocation full-time, quickly became an integral part of the Island’s jazz scene. He worked with bandleader and bassist Jimmy Burgoff when Burgoff still lived on Martha’s Vineyard, and attributes his many years of solo playing to fellow Islander and pianist Jeremy Berlin, a great inspiration.
Dec. 20: Rodney Paul Jensen, 79, Edgartown
Dec. 22: Michael O’Donoghue, 66, Oak Bluffs
Dec. 23: Barbara Prada, Edgartown
When Jesse Morgan retired as Edgartown’s animal control officer, Barbara decided to apply for that job, and got it. Over the many years of her career, the people of Edgartown came to recognize her incredible people skills and organizational skills, as well as her affinity with animals. She carried out her responsibilities as a law enforcement officer, but was very nonjudgmental toward pet owners, even repeat offenders! Being a born and bred Edgartown person, she knew all kinds of people here, and accorded them all respect. In 1994 Barbara was named the Animal Control Officer of the Year by the MSPCA.
Dec. 25: John F. Connors Jr., 85, Edgartown
John’s favorite place to hold court was around his Edgartown dining room table, visited by hundreds of summer guests over the years, and often inspiring spirited political discussions — and even a few changed minds.
Dec. 26: Darren Lobdell, 56
Throughout his life, Darren always had a large group of devoted friends. The house he built on Stoney Hill Road in Vineyard Haven was a favorite gathering place, especially on Sunday afternoons, when Patriots fans would come together to eat, drink, and cheer on their team.
Dec. 26: Calvin M. (“Kern”) Grimes Jr., 80
When he returned home to Boston from the National Guard, Kern joined his father working in the Grimes Oil family business. He attended business school and learned everything he could about the oil business. In 1969 Grimes Oil became incorporated. Kern became the president and CEO of the family business, which expanded under his tutelage. In 1979 Grimes Oil gained national recognition as being the ninth Black-owned business in the country.
Dec. 27: Jane C. Brown, 82
After moving back to the Island in the early 1960s, Jane worked for the family businesses, including the Harborside Inn. By the early 1970s, she opened her namesake real estate office, which carries on under her name today. In the late 1970s, Jane owned the Boston House restaurant, eventually turning it into a nightclub known as the Atlantic Connection, while also continuing to run both Jane Brown Associates and the Harborside Liquor Store. The Connection brought many musical acts to the Island.
Dec. 28: Helen K. Harley, 87, West Warwick, R.I.
No Date: Howard Harding Brown
Multigenerational summers on the Vineyard have been a highlight for Harding’s family, gathering year after year for relaxed time together at the family home, with Harding at the helm.
No Date: Jaime K. Javier
