“Howdy, Neighbor,” was Bob Fischer’s customary greeting, whether he had walked up the path through the woods between our houses, driven down our driveway in his truck, met unexpectedly at the Post Office, or was at the other end of the telephone line. It was always said with the smile and affection Mike and I shared with Bob.
He and Maureen built their house next door in 1993. They were great neighbors, and became great friends. Bob died at home last week after a long illness.
Bob possessed a natural cheerfulness. He was, like Mike, good at fixing things, at figuring out how things worked, so many of his trips through the woods were to Mike’s workshop, where he would borrow a necessary tool for the task. Of course, there was much discussion of how to approach said task. The discussion often lasted longer than the task, or precluded its being undertaken at all, until some more felicitous time.
Bob had his boat, fishing, his house, and his yard. Best of all, Bob had his golden retrievers. He and Maureen had bred goldens before they moved to the Island. Between us, several wonderful and much-loved golden retrievers were adopted, and given homes where they reigned supreme. Maureen mentioned that many people in town knew Bob from conversations about goldens.
His family is planning a memorial service at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Edgartown on Nov. 11 at 1 pm. It was important to Maureen that Bob be remembered on Veterans Day, in honor of his military service that he felt such pride in. Condolences to Maureen, their daughters, Kristen and Colette, and their grandchildren, Owen Albert, Lilly, and Ana Kurelja.
The Howes House will host a webinar about the Green House Project on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 2 pm. The Green House care model focuses on providing high-quality care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, as well as specialized training for the staff. The facility currently in progress on the Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road will have small, homelike residential units, and will provide staff housing. Call 508-693-2896 for information and to register.
There will be a special town meeting on Nov. 14, 6 pm, at the West Tisbury School. Town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells is still working on the warrant, and will send it out once it’s finalized. If you live in town and haven’t registered to vote yet, the last date to do so before the town meeting is Nov. 3 at 5 pm. It’s important that we have a quorum of 138 registered West Tisbury voters in order to hold the meeting. The town clerk’s office is open between 7:30 am and 12:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Note extra hours on Nov. 3. For information, call 508-696-0148.
Welcome to Gayle Gardens and Tara Gayle, who will take over the former Heather Gardens. She is a native plant enthusiast and specialist. She plans to open for the holidays, then full steam ahead for next spring.
Next week will be Halloween, and the end of October. Decorations are going up around town. Pumpkins. Cornstalks. Lights. I hope the Charter School students will put out the imaginative scarecrows they have done in past years.
If you haven’t thought about your costume yet, Hugh Phear will be at the library this Saturday, Oct. 28, at 12:30 pm to help “Brainstorm and Troubleshoot Your Halloween Costume.” There will be some materials on hand, and you are welcome to bring something special of your own. All ages are welcome. Stay till 3 pm, when Dave Kish will screen a jazz documentary and lead a discussion afterward.
The library’s annual Halloween Party will be from 3 to 5 pm on Halloween afternoon. Come in a costume, if you wish. There will be hayrides, games, pumpkin decorating, and refreshments.
Later on, from 6 to 8 pm, come to the Ag Hall for West Tisbury parks and recreation’s party. They promise a spooky hayride, and tricks-and-treats for all.
It wouldn’t be much fun to be outdoors, but the wild, rainy weather we had on Saturday would have set a spooky scene for trick-or-treating. Some of the trees in our woods, with their whipping branches, looked like fingers reaching out to grab unsuspecting passersby. Maybe a good night to reread “The Headless Horseman.”
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
