Lawrence (“Kevin”) Vance passed gently in his sleep on August 24, 2026.
He was born in Baltimore City, Md., on April 30, 1962, to Dorothy Evelyn King.
In his youth, the family moved to Florida, to a farm. Kevin really enjoyed working on the farm, especially with the milk cows. He always stated it was “hard work but fun.”
Kevin moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 1984. Here he worked with John Hoy as a mason tender, built rock walls with Gary Stead, worked construction with Rosbeck Construction, and then worked with Gardner Burgess and Joe Gonsalves doing plumbing. In the early 2000s, Kevin and his partner, Jessica Oliver, worked with Bencion and Patricia Moscow, previous owners of Thimble Farm, caretaking and living on their property in West Tisbury.
Kevin and Jessica moved to South Carolina in 2009. Kevin started a business called Jack of All Trades, where he did everything from small-engine repair to building chimneys.
Jessica and Kevin moved back to Martha’s Vineyard a few years later to caretake another property, until they both retired to Hillside Village.
Kevin leaves behind his partner of 26 years, Jessica A. Oliver; his mother, Dorothy Evelyn King; his aunt, Ann DeGraff; his cousins, Louann Naylor, George Ann Baker, and Timothy DeGraff; and his niece and nephew, Megan and Timothy Vance. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Coy Evan and Elizabeth Grownaw Vance; his uncle, Coy Evan Vance Jr.; aunt, Louise Zachos; his brother, Robert James Vance; and stepfather, Thomas E.C. King.
