Vineyard comes together in time of great loss

After the loss of two pillars of the Vineyard community, Islanders came together at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs to remember a past president of the association who lived a life of service, and who touched so many lives on the Vineyard: Patricia Bergeron.

More than 700 Islanders gathered on Tuesday evening in the sprawling establishment to celebrate the life of Bergeron, known as Tricia, or simply Trish. The evening was filled with a warm atmosphere fueled by socialization, food, and drinks, but a palpable grief hung among those who came to both celebrate and mourn the couple lost on New Year’s Day. Hugs and soft words of consolation were exchanged by friends and family over the sudden deaths of Bergeron, who spent decades serving at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and as president of the Portuguese-American Club, and Roy Scheffer, an Island fishing legend and her partner. Bergeron was 69, and Scheffer was 77. 

Attendance at the event at the Portuguese-American (P.A.) Club, where Bergeron spent many years as a volunteer and leader, proved how many lives she and Scheffer touched on the Island. From P.A. Club members to hockey players to commercial fishermen to hospital workers, it showcased how important the two were to the Island community. At the gathering, two posterboards were on display that showed various P.A. Club functions they attended together, as well as their time spent playing at the Martha’s Vineyard Cribbage Club. The posters even memorialized neck-and-neck scorecards between the two.

“With them both leaving the Island, because they’re such patriarchs of the Island in every aspect … this is not just friends or families changing,” Gina Bettencourt, president of the P.A. Club, told The Times. “This is the Island changing … there isn’t a place I can go that they haven’t touched.”

The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office stated that the couple’s vessel was found overturned, and officials saw the propeller was entangled in a polypropylene line. The tragic accident is still under investigation, but state officials said the couple had been caught by a sudden blow of snowy winds, sleet, and powerful waves while scalloping in waters off Edgartown. Even before state officials confirmed the deaths of Bergeron and Schepper, a ripple of sorrow and shock cascaded across the Island from those who had found out beforehand of the Island’s loss of two community pillars. Before the remembrance at the P.A. Club, some people placed flowers, seashells, a pair of fisherman’s boots, and a sign that reads “Love” in their memory at a dock in Edgartown. 

Members of Bergeron’s family spoke of her warmth, and said she was a beacon of light for their family through good times and also untimely deaths of loved ones. Through fond memories that were shared, emotions welled up from each speaker. 

Kristen MacLean described her mother as “my first heartbeat, my first safe place,” and while the tragedy would be difficult to tread through, she knew how to be a strong woman from Bergeron’s “shining example.” MacLean said her mother’s spirit will be with her. 

“I miss you more than words can say,” MacLean said. “Your kindness, your unwavering support are all etched in my heart. I’ll keep making memories, but they’ll never be the same without you … your legacy of kindness and generosity will live on through me and all the people you have touched.” 

Ben Peters tenderly recalled the words he heard from his grandmother mere days before the accident. “‘To my grandson: I can’t promise I’ll be here for your whole life, but I can promise that I’ll love you for the rest of mine,’” Peters said. He said Bergeron told him to be strong and vigilant whatever path life might lead him down. 

Paula O’Connor said her aunt was always her first contact for whatever happened, good and bad. O’Connor said she and her siblings adored Bergeron, sometimes hiding her nursing shoes when they were younger so she couldn’t leave. 

She recalled Bergeron’s love for her children. Bergeron, who tragically lost her son Eric McLean in an automobile accident in 2001, established the Eric Bergeron McLean Memorial Boys Varsity Hockey Scholarships, and made an annual plea to Island high schoolers to wear seat belts when the scholarships were awarded. 

“I feel like our family has dealt with more than our fair share of untimely deaths and tragedies,” O’Connor said.

“And what does this family do in the wake of tragedy? We all pull together, and somehow miraculously we get through,” she added. “But I’ve got to tell you, this one hurts. This one hurts really bad.” 

A celebration of life and memorial for both Bergeron and Schepper is planned for a later date.

Bergeron and Scheffer met each other at a Little League game, and their years together were intertwined ever since. 

Bergeron and Scheffer were mainstays in various parts of Island life. 

Scheffer, commonly known as “the Royster,” graduated from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in 1966, and fishing ran in his blood. Roy began working on fishing boats after graduating high school, and ventured as far as the Grand Banks in pursuit of swordfish. He commanded a generation of fishermen that came to define the Menemsha waterfront through the 1970s, and in the 1990s. He later started the Roysters oyster farm in Katama Bay and instilled a love for the fishing trade in his sons. Jeremy Scheffer, owner of Spearpoint Oysters, farms oysters in Katama Bay and Menemsha Pond. Noah Scheffer started Little Minnow Oyster Co. in Katama Bay. Isaiah Scheffer is Chilmark’s shellfish constable, and his son, Matteus, is among the next generation of fishermen, and is well-known on the Menemsha pier where he works alongside his extended family, including the Larsens.

The loss of Roy Scheffer rattled the commercial fishing community on the Vineyard. Buddy Vanderhoop, a Menemsha fishing boat captain who knew Scheffer since high school and worked with him in the fishing industry on the Island for virtually all their adult lives, described him as “a huge presence.” He was a pioneer in the Island’s shellfishing scene, which has helped spur a number of young, entrepreneuring aquaculturists in the local industry. 

“A great guy, just a great guy,” he said, explaining, “The Scheffers are at the heart of the shellfish industry on the Island, and that all began with Roy … This is just a huge loss for the fishing community, and for the whole Island.”

Jason Gale, an Island commercial fisherman, said he heard of Scheffer growing up. 

“He was an unbelievably accomplished fisherman with a world of experience. If an accident like this could happen to him, then it could happen to anyone. I know some of his children and grandchildren; I feel so sad for their loss,” Gale said in a text to The Times.

He also called Bergeron an amazing woman, a sentiment shared across the Vineyard. 

Bergeron was born on the Island, and at one point left for Florida, but returned to be closer to family. She worked for 47 years at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, more than 20 of which were spent as the unit coordinator in the emergency room — the place she and Scheffer were transported to after the accident.

The loss of Bergeron was a deep cut for the hospital community, where she was “a longtime and highly respected member,” a hospital statement reads. 

“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Tricia and Roy, and to the many colleagues and friends who are grieving,” Claire Seguin, hospital president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting the family and our staff during this difficult time.”

Helen Green, who had worked with Bergeron in the emergency department for years, said at the remembrance that Bergeron was a kind and supportive team member who worked tirelessly to help others and develop community in the hospital. 

“As a nurse, I always felt complete confidence in you, and I knew that we were in good hands, and I knew you had my back,” Green said, reading from the statements she read for Bergeron at her retirement party. 

Bettencourt said Bergeron, through her spirit and her own trauma of losing a child, was able to truly connect to patients. And if anybody needed assistance getting care, she was ready to help someone get to the Island hospital, or find a way to help the person to Boston. 

Outside the hospital, Bergeron held the mantle of president at the P.A. Club for a decade, and served on its board of directors for 40 years. It only made sense to host her celebration of life at the local establishment. Her leadership in the club continued a family legacy, as her grandfather was one of the men who founded the club in the 1930s, and her cousin, Pamela Gibson Silvia, will become president in two weeks. Bergeron’s generous spirit was also recognized over the years, from being awarded the Spirit of the Vineyard Award in 2015 from Vineyard Village at Home and to the Heritage Day of Portugal Award in 2023 for her contributions to the Portuguese American community. 

State Sen. Dylan Fernandes, who formerly represented the Vineyard while in the State House of Representatives and had presented the Heritage Day of Portugal Award to Bergeron, said in an online statement that he was “deeply saddened by the tragic passing” of Bergeron and Scheffer. 

“Patricia was a friend and, as president of the Portuguese-American Club and through her work at the hospital, did so much in the community,” Fernandes said. “When I was in the House, I had the honor of presenting her with the Portuguese Heritage Day award. She and her husband will be dearly missed.” 

As they were on the fateful scalloping trip, Bergeron and Scheffer were also together frequently, and shared a joy in playing cribbage. They were both avid players in the Vineyard’s Cribbage Club, their scorecards showing that they came neck-and-neck in skill. Bergeron, with club co-founder Mary Alice Russell, also wrote a column on game results for The Times for years. Bergeron’s last entry before her death was on Dec. 17. 

Russell said Bergeron and Scheffer were some of the top players at the club, making it to the top 50 players in the Eastern region. The pair rarely missed a meeting, and Russell recalled how beloved they were to their families and within the club. 

“I can’t imagine coming into this hall and seeing an empty chair,” Russell said. “But I will keep this club alive.” 

On Tuesday evening, Bettencourt asked everyone to remember Bergeron and Scheffer, and to live by their examples of generosity and giving to the Island community. 

“We know how much Tricia and Roy meant to everybody,” Bettencourt said. “Every time you saw them, there were smiles on their faces, and they loved to share with everybody. So keep their good works up.”