- Gertrude “Gert” Knowlton, 103, died peacefully at her Oak Bluffs home on May 11, 2015.
Gert was raised in Milford, and was a graduate of Milford High School. While raising her family in Holliston, she helped her husband run the family grocery store. In the early ’70s she worked as an assistant manager of a Hit or Miss store in Natick. She moved to the Vineyard in 1991, and at the age of 79, she took watercolor lessons at the Oak Bluffs Senior Center and discovered the joy of painting. Her beautiful watercolors grace the homes of family and friends. She often said her years on the Island were some of her happiest, as she found a true sense of peace here. She was an inspiration to all who knew her.
She was the wife of Edgar L. Knowlton. Born in Marlborough, she was the daughter of George F. and Mary Ellen (Clare) Pyne. She is survived by her daughters, Janice Williams and her husband David of Marlborough; Rosemary Hildreth of Oak Bluffs; Nancy Mahoney and her husband John of Southborough; 13 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her two sons, Barry C. Knowlton and Mark “Tony” Knowlton.
A funeral Mass was held on Saturday, May 16th, at St. Mary’s Church in Milford, followed by burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, Box 1748, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.