Walter Sheldon Gifford Jr., 88, died peacefully from natural causes in front of a warm fire, surrounded by loving family members, at his home called Rocky River on April 3, 2018.
Born August 8, 1929, in Schenectady, N.Y. to Walter Sheldon Gifford and Katherine Peck Gifford, he graduated from the Albany Academy in 1948 and attended the University of Virginia for Engineering. He worked at Arrowhead Farm (Chilmark) and other farms during summers, fostering a love of agriculture. In 1954 he received his bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry from the University of Massachusetts.
Mary Lee Everett became his wife on August 29, 1953 in Belmont, two years after meeting in Harthaven. They owned Oronacah Farm in Elnora, N.Y. In 1962, they sold their dairy operation and started raising corn and wheat, eventually increasing to 2,100 acres. Later, they added a “pick your own” berry business with retail stand, where all family members participated.
Gifford was a long-term member of Farm Bureau, and taught agriculture classes at Union College. As secretary of the Clifton Park Rotary, he published the newsletter. Gifford also ran in 1962 for the N.Y. State Assembly as a Conservative. He enjoyed math, and took numerous graduate hours at Russell Sage, SUNY Albany, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Many unique and clever wooden structures, designed and constructed in Elnora, Lyndeborough, N.H., and Martha’s Vineyard, will be part of his legacy. His artistic creation, “the Taj Mahal,” was featured in Ethan Fierro’s book “The Outdoor Shower.” He was a builder of buildings, business, and family.
His Vineyard connections began as a child at his grandparents’ home in Harthaven. A love of boating developed as he explored Farm Pond with his cousin, John Boardman. Later in life, he enjoyed cruising Cumbrae, his 21-foot Fenwick Williams–designed catboat with the “Yale blue” sails. He was a member of the Edgartown Yacht Club, and raced Cumbrae in the Moffit and Gaffriggers’ races. For many years he played saxophone at Oak Bluffs’ bandstand. In 1975, he and his wife purchased Harthaven’s Stanley Hart home, where he installed the schooner-inspired flagpole and an early Travis Tuck Newfoundland dog weathervane. Over the years, he collected Vineyard art, including pieces by Joe Wheelwright, cousin Bill Abbe, and niece Rebecca Everett. He also acquired land at Abel’s Hill, Chilmark. Utilizing his example of stewardship, the family swarms every spring in Harthaven to maintain “the Big House.”
As an avid traveler, opera lover, and lifelong learner, he attended Chautauqua Institute for over 30 years, and traveled to Mexico, England, Ireland, France, Italy, and Belize. Inspired by Chilmark’s Tim Eddy, the Giffords provided construction at an orphanage in Nicaragua. In Portugal, he rented a castle for his extended family. He and his wife also toured extensively with Harthaven residents Mary and Richard Everett, his sister and his wife’s brother. Ever generous, he hosted his family at the Mount Washington Hotel for three days after Christmas for 16 consecutive years. Those getaways provide precious family memories to be cherished forevermore.
He was predeceased by his parents, his younger brother, Folger, and his older sister, Virginia. He leaves the love of his life, Mary Lee Gifford, wife of 64 years, his sister Mary (Richard) Everett of East Haddam, Conn., and four children, who had the benefit of the teaching of his craftsmanship, patience, and encouragement to take risks: Margaret (Kurt) Charpentier of Lyndeborough, Walter S. (Teresa) Gifford III, of Schaghticoke, N.Y., Robert (Cynthia) Gifford of Schaghticoke, and Katherine (Brian) Sherras of Rupert, Vt. Survivors also include his beloved 10 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, seven nieces, and one nephew.
Interment of ashes will take place in the future at the family plot in Warren, Conn., and there will be a memorial gathering at “the Big House,” Harthaven, on Wednesday, August 29, from 4 to 6:30 pm.