William Anthony Webber (“Billy”), a lifelong summer resident of Martha’s Vineyard, passed away on Dec. 28, 2019 in New Britain, Conn., surrounded by his loved ones. He was 50 years old.

Billy was born on Dec. 9, 1969, in Hartford, Conn., to his loving parents, Arlene Aparo Webber St. Germain and the late William Lawrence Webber. Billy graduated with a B.A. from CCSU in 1992. He owned and operated a successful hardwood flooring business for more than 20 years, serving almost every neighbor on his street and the greater central Connecticut area. His life was blessed with many offshore trips and bigeye fishing adventures, shared with all who loved him. They included local fishing tournaments, the Monster Shark Tournament, and the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic with Captain Al Gagnon of the Brennans Grin and Big Eye Charters over the past 20 years. His love for fishing the Atlantic began as a young boy on Long Island Sound, Conn., with his family, and progressed to Martha’s Vineyard with his lifelong friends. All who knew him adored him, and with great sadness he will be missed. Keep shining somewhere in the Atlantic … #offshoremafia

Billy is survived by his mother, Arlene St. Germain, stepfather Joseph A. St. Germain, girlfriend Ivry Russillo, uncle Edward Aparo and aunt Jean Aparo, several cousins, and many dear friends.

There will be a celebration of Billy’s life at the Paul A. Shaker Funeral Home, 764 Farmington Ave, New Britain, Conn., on Jan. 12 at 1 pm.

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Nelson Bryant, a former dock builder from West Tisbury who would go on to write the New York Times “Outdoors” column for more than three decades, died on Saturday at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. He was 96. 

Bryant grew up on Martha’s Vineyard, “prowling the woods of West Tisbury,” and delighting in the bounty of up-Island ponds. 

Bryant was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division that jumped into Normandy on D-day in 1944, an experience he would describe as “the supreme and overwhelming experience in my life” to Jack Shea, in a story Shea wrote for The Times in 2017. 

“Nelson Bryant has a full life in West Tisbury with his [partner] Ruth [Kirchmeier],” Shea wrote. “Mr. Bryant, 94, took a break from chopping firewood and hanging homegrown vegetables to dry in the cellar in order to talk with The Times about his military life in World War II.”

“I was in my first semester at Dartmouth, a summer session, and I was thinking, ‘What am I doing here when guys are fighting and dying?’” he recalled to Shea.
“Our picture was very clear. Pearl Harbor got nailed, and Germany supported it. I felt we should be at war. The threat was clear, obvious, and direct. Now my son volunteered for duty in Vietnam, which I didn’t like. I thought [the war] was a mistake, I didn’t like the idea of [the Vietnam War] at all,” he said.
Bryant enlisted in the Army in 1942, Shea wrote, and became a paratrooper with engagements in the Normandy invasion, Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, encountering Islander Ted Morgan several times in France.
“The night before we jumped into Normandy, Ted came to my tent to wish me luck. He knew it was going to be my first jump,” Bryant told Shea. Bryant was wounded in Normandy, and again in Holland.
Jack Shea said he remembers shaking his head that fall Saturday when he interviewed Bryant two years ago, talking with Ruth Kirchmeier while waiting for Bryant. “He was out in the back 40, chopping firewood,” Shea said. “He was 94 at the time. He came in a few minutes later, curled his hands around a coffee cup, and talked about his life as he was fully living it.
“The man was his character: thoughtful, honest, direct, a legacy of a lifetime in journalism together with the morality and hard work ethic that made Tom Brokaw describe Bryant’s peers as the ‘Greatest Generation,’ in Brokaw’s bestseller.”
After World War II, Bryant would return home, graduate from Dartmouth College, and go on to embark on a journalism career, becoming the managing editor of the Daily Eagle in Claremont, N.H. After that, he returned to Martha’s Vineyard and became a dock builder.
Island artist and writer Kib Bramhall was hired by Bryant. “I worked for Nelson in his dock building business when I was a teenager,” Bramhall wrote in an email to The Times, “and we became lifelong friends thereafter. He was one of my heroes because of his WWII service, and he was an inspiration as a writer who described fishing with a rare and informed sensitivity from the viewpoint of everyman.”
Bryant would turn his love of the outdoors into his life’s work, becoming the “Outdoors” columnist for the New York Times for more than 30 years, joining an illustrious group of Island writers who fished and fishermen who wrote — John Hersey, Ward Just, Kib Bramhall, Janet Messineo. He was known for his conversational tone, weaving his scientific knowledge into a good yarn, and his willingness to write about, even as a writer well into his 90s, larger issues such as climate change.
Several years ago, he wrote a series of columns for The MV Times, and in this one, ponders the wonder, and the fate, of the white perch, and the great pond in which he finds them: “In early November, Peter Huntington dropped by with a much-appreciated gift of white perch he had caught in Tisbury Great Pond.
“I first encountered that salt pond’s perch more than 80 years ago, so I was not surprised to see them in Peter’s bucket. I was startled by their size, however. Many were pushing two pounds, and a few were a bit larger. Over the decades since I first fished for them — with a cane pole, worms, and a bobber — in front of Dan’l Manter’s boathouse on the east shore of the pond’s Town Cove, they had averaged about half a pound.
“I was immediately captivated by the species, and for several boyhood years I never failed to visit Town Cove, which was one of the places where they congregated in spring to spawn. As the years went by, however, I became more interested in striped bass and bluefish, both species that are frequent visitors to the pond.
“I anointed a brace of Peter’s perch — he had cleaned and scaled them for me — with a mild mixture of melted butter, salt, pepper, garlic, and powdered basil, and baked them for 20 minutes at 350°. Both my partner, Ruth Kirchmeier, and I found their flavor and texture superb. Indeed, no less an expert on fishing and fish cookery than the late A.J. McLane observes in his classic New Standard Fishing Encyclopedia that ‘there is no finer fish to eat than the white perch.’
“Assailed by a yearning for more white perch, Ruth and I went to Town Cove a few days later. After paddling about for a half-hour, we located a school of them, and within 15 minutes I had six perch flopping in the bottom of the canoe, all save one in the two-pound class …
“As previously noted, I had come to think of white perch as spring spawners. The sacs of roe and milt they contained were, in my opinion, nearly ready to be released. I have been trying to come up with an explanation for this, and thus far can only surmise that global warming may have a role. Last winter the pond was essentially ice-free, and it looks as if the same thing is going to take place in the 2012–2013 winter. Until recently, the pond has always had at least a thin coating of ice over much of its surface in winter, and I remember winters in my boyhood when the young bloods of my hometown of West Tisbury raced automobiles on the ice.”
In another column from 2013, Bryant wrote of deer on Martha’s Vineyard: “White-tailed deer are heroic wanderers. Year after year, small numbers of them attempt to swim to the Vineyard from the mainland or the neighboring Elizabeth Islands. They don’t all make it. Some five to six miles of water and powerful currents are involved, and drowned deer carcasses are occasionally found along the Vineyard’s North Shore.
“In the late 1930s, fallow deer were introduced to the Vineyard in an effort to provide Islanders with deer hunting. By 1944, there were an estimated 150 of them on the Island. They didn’t thrive, and were gone by the late 1980s. My brother Danny, now deceased, and Vineyarder David Tilton were among those who successfully hunted the Island’s fallow deer. I never got around to pursuing them before World War II.
“My first deer hunting took place in Germany in 1945,” Bryant wrote. “The Germans had surrendered, and my unit, the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, was on occupation duty, licking its wounds after the Normandy and Holland jumps and the Battle of the Bulge.
“At some point in my off-duty wanderings about the German countryside, I ventured onto the grounds of what appeared to be a large estate that embraced extensive meadows and forests, and was laced with streams. I saw many deer, and big brown trout flourished in the streams. The deer could have been any one of the several Eurasian species, including fallows.
“Noting that our daily food rations were less than interesting, I proposed to my company commander that I take a buddy with me and harvest deer and trout with which we could enliven our meals.
“He agreed, and we made two such forays.
“I will always remember the first trip. We were dragging a big buck out of the woods and had stopped while I tossed a grenade into a deep pool in a stream. I was wading about gathering up several large brown trout that had been stunned by the explosion when a tall, middle-aged man in jacket and tie appeared on the stream bank a few feet from me.
“I instantly felt that he was the owner of the estate. His face was laced with controlled anger and frustration, but he said nothing. I acknowledged his presence with a nod, strung the last of the trout on a large forked stick I had cut for that purpose, and left his violated domain with my friend and our pelf.
“My deer hunting is almost over, and is confined to a small area of West Tisbury,” he wrote. “The years have slowed me down — I’ll be 90 next April — and all I do is shuffle to a spot where I can sit and overlook a swamp from which deer are wont to emerge late in the day.”
Just over two years ago, Bryant’s war experience would come back to him, arriving one weekend on his West Tisbury doorstep.
His friend and neighbor Hermine Hull wrote in her MV Times West Tisbury column that a Dutch couple — Andre and Riet Duijghuisen — had contacted Bryant, saying they had a bayonet they had found in an attic, one that Bryant had lost more than 70 years earlier.
“I saw the sheath with the name ‘Bryant’ scratched into it, and held the heavy steel bayonet,” Hull wrote in her column.
“Nelson, a soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division, 508 Regiment, D Company, had parachuted into a field behind Andre’s parents’ home, very close to the German border. The bayonet was lost, and found later when Andre’s father and his neighbors scoured the surrounding fields for weapons, grenades, whatever they could find.
“Andre had to hunt through a cemetery of white crosses, then military records and the Internet, until he found Nelson, ‘the right Bryant.’ Andre called him up on the telephone to tell of his discovery and his intention to deliver it in person. He made quite a production of handing it over to Nelson in the sack that Riet had made for it, fabric patterned with blue and white Delft tiles. She had made an apron for Ruth from the same fabric. They also brought some pieces of parachute fabric, maybe from the very one Nelson had worn.
“It was a lovely weekend, and both couples enjoyed each other’s company. Ruth took Andre and Riet on ‘the Island tour.’ They left Monday morning. Nelson is pleased that the bayonet now lives outside, hooked on his garden fence with a shiny piece of copper wire, a tool for digging in the garden, a use more productive and peaceful than its intended one.”
Island fisherman, taxidermist, and writer Janet Messineo told the Times that she treasures a memory of Bryant from almost 40 years ago. “I was fishing Wasque Rip. It was probably in the early ’80s, when not many women were around other than sitting around waiting for their husbands or spouses to stop fishing so they could go home.
“It was in the days when the bluefish were ravenous, and there were plenty of them around the Vineyard. I had tendinitis in my right arm from catching fish. The rods those days were not what we have these days, and could really tax my body. I was catching lots of huge bluefish, and in the current, they could pull your arm off. My arm was trashed, so with the suggestion of Dr. Campbell, I wore a support so as to not stress the muscle any more than it already was strained.
“I was adjusting my arm band, and all of a sudden I looked up and Nelson was at my side. I knew he was just a few buggies away from me that day. He said, ‘Here, let me help you with that,’ as he adjusted the tension on my arm band until it was perfect. He was so sweet and so kind. I treasure that moment with him, and wish I got to know him better.”
In an email to The Times after Bryant’s death, Hull wrote of his impact on her. “Nelson has always been a larger-than-life character in my Vineyard life and in our family life, a mixture of the stories. As a writer, I admired his gifts for storytelling in carefully constructed prose. As a painter, I admired his gifts for making that prose describe fully-rendered pictures in my mind’s eye.”
“Bryant took bullets for his country in two countries during World War II,” Jack Shea wrote, “and his war horrors stayed with him on a daily basis for the rest of his life, he said that day I interviewed him. But the inner emotional carnage did not limit him, was part of him but did not cripple him.
“I grieve the loss of the man, but also the loss, particularly in these days, of another member of a generation whose like I fear we shall never see again.”
Nelson Bryant was born on Long Island on April 22, 1923, and moved to Martha’s Vineyard when he was 10, attending grammar school in West Tisbury and Tisbury. He leaves his longtime partner, artist Ruth Kirchmeier; and three children — sons Stephen and Jeffrey, and his daughter Mary Bryant Bailey; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His daughter Alison predeceased him.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. 

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Charles Chapman (“Chappy”), 75, of East Burke, Vt., passed away suddenly on Sunday, May 26, 2019. He was born in Chatham, N.Y., to Ellsworth and Doris (Burrows) Chapman.

Following high school graduation, he was drafted by the Army. During his service in Vietnam, he received a number of medals and awards. After returning from Vietnam, Charlie attended Lyndon State College, and found himself bartending on the Vineyard between semesters. Some of his favorite memories were working at the Boston House for Tubby Rebello, and for Buster and Richie at Giordano’s Restaurant. 

Charlie left the Island, but returned in the ’80s to build houses with Chip Yerkes. He met his wife Barbara on the Vineyard, and they moved to Vermont. In Vermont Charlie taught driver’s education. After retiring from teaching, he drove a school bus for the students at Burke Town School. He was a proud member of Caledonia County Masonic Lodge No. 27 F. & A.M.

Charlie leaves behind his wife Barbara, son Chad and his wife Heidi, his sister Lois Brown and her husband Wesley, and their children Jeff Brown and Karen Anderson and their families, several brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Family and friends are invited to a graveside service this summer on July 2 at 11 am at the New Westside Cemetery in Edgartown officiated by the Rev. Sharon Eckhardt, with a Masonic funeral service provided by the Oriental-Martha’s Vineyard Masonic Lodge, and military honors provided by the veterans of Martha’s Vineyard.

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Beth Ann Saint-Amour, wife to Jay Wilbur — a loving and generous presence for all who knew her — passed away on Jan. 5, 2020, at Massachusetts General Hospital from respiratory failure, brought on by the cancer that she had so courageously fought since 2017.

Beth, one of five children, was born on April 29, 1959, outside Cleveland, Ohio, to Katheryne V. Saint-Amour and John D. Saint-Amour. With her family, she moved to Massachusetts in 1971; she went on to graduate from Weston High School in 1978. Pursuing her love for cooking, Beth graduated from Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, N.Y.) and then eventually settled on Martha’s Vineyard.

Beth married John (“Jay”) M. Wilbur III, also of Martha’s Vineyard, in 2001 and they resided in Vineyard Haven on the Island for the past 18 years with their beloved dogs and cats. During that period, Beth worked at Island Food Products, and developed a close bond with those she worked with and her clients alike.

From the Vineyard, Beth explored the world with elegance — from the Swiss Alps to the emerald-green waters of the Caribbean, to the tropical forests of Costa Rica, where Beth and Jay built their retirement dream home. Her true joy and solace could be found with bits of time spent at any beach, large or minute. Throughout Beth’s life journey, she shared her gracious acts of cooking, bringing strangers and friends together, teaching us about food — but more important, about its ability to bring us together.

Beth is survived by her husband Jay, mother Katheryne, sister Paula, brothers John (Barbara) and Steven (Joan), along with their loving nieces and nephews. Beth is also survived by Jay’s family of sisters, Cindy (John) and Ann (Steven), and brother Dean (Cricket), along with their nieces and nephews. Her family, friends, and all who knew Beth will sorely miss her grace, generosity, wit, work ethic, the love and protection she showered on everyone. She cared deeply about every person she met, and each person knew it. 

A memorial service will be held on June 19, where flowers will be welcomed — the location will be at Owen Little Way; other details will be announced at a later date. Donations in her name may also be sent to the Oncology Center at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, P.O. Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. 

For online guestbook and information, please visit ccgfuneralhome.com.

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Alexandra Henley Turner died peacefully at her Katama home on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, with her loving son Stephen at her side.

Born in 1927 in Orange, N.J., she was an avid sailor in summers on the Vineyard throughout her childhood. She was a lifelong musician. She moved to Katama in 1947, started her family on a small dairy farm on Slough Cove Road, and later worked as an elementary school teacher off-Island. After her retirement from teaching, she returned to the Island full-time. She was a professional church organist, and an associate of the American Guild of Organists.

She is survived by five children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Interment will be held in the Memorial Garden at Saint Andrew’s Church, Edgartown, on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 3 pm. Donations to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1748, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, will be received with gratitude.

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Beverly Ann Corwin (Goodwin) passed away on Dec. 20, 2019, following a long illness. 

Born on Martha’s Vineyard on Dec. 7, 1933, Beverly put herself through the Harlem School of Nursing in New York City, and graduated in 1956. One of her first assignments was at the Brooklyn State Hospital, where her empathy and compassion was appreciated by many. She later worked in obstetrics at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and loved it. She also ran a nursery school in Edgartown in the 1960s called Corwin’s Nursery School, which is still remembered fondly by the children who went there. Beverly was an accomplished watercolor artist, and portraits were her specialty. 

She will be remembered for her loving kindness, Interest in others, and love of all the beauty in this world. We will miss you greatly.

She is survived by four children, Joyce Corwin, Stephen Corwin, Jennifer Van Gelder, and Nancy Dillon; and by her eight grandchildren. Beverly was predeceased by her husband Paul, son Paul David, and three siblings, Frankie, Jimmy, and Buzzy.

A celebration of her life will be on her beloved Island this summer.

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Amy Lynne Combra died unexpectedly, at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, on Jan. 8, 2020. She was 49.

A full obituary will follow in another edition of this paper.

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Priscilla Sinatra of Millis and Martha’s Vineyard, formerly of Jamaica Plain, died on Dec. 6, 2019.

Priscilla worked at St. Thomas Church in Millis as a religion education coordinator and a counselor for AFI for exchange students. 

She was the loving wife of Charles Sinatra; beloved mother of Juliane and Suzanne Sinatra; sister of Barbara Nolan and the late James Nolan; niece of Rachael Laskowski; grandmother of Johanna and Zachary Leazott. She is also survived by cousin Diane and Bill McCourty, aunt Phyllis Nolan and her children, and aunt Nellie Wall and her children. 

The funeral was from Roberts Mitchell Caruso Funeral Home, 90 Curve St., Millis, on Friday, Dec. 13, followed by a funeral Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Millis. Burial was at Prospect Hill Cemetery, Millis.

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Shawn S. Willoughby, 62, of Hillside Village in Vineyard Haven died on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

His memorial service will be held at a later date, and a complete obituary will appear in another edition of this paper.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. Visit ccgfuneralhome.com for online guestbook and information.

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Florencio Mendez, known to many as “Sonny” (sometimes referred to as “Half-Pint”), was born on Oct. 21, 1941, in New Bedford. Sonny lost his battle with cancer-related illnesses at Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. He was surrounded by his children, grandchildren, brother, and loved ones. He was 78 years old.

Sonny was a longtime resident of Martha’s Vineyard, and loved this Island dearly. He moved to the island from New Bedford at the age of 13. He was known to always have a smile on his face, and was loved by anyone who knew him — a gentle soul who didn’t let anything get him down. One of his favorite pastimes was watching baseball and sitting at the ferry docks to watch the many visitors come and go. In earlier days, he served in the U.S Army as a specialist, and received his honorable discharge on April 11, 1969. After completing his enlistment in the Army, he worked as a machinist for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, where he traveled the world and serviced their many ships. Thereafter he returned to the Island and worked as a truck driver for Araujo Brothers for many years.

Sonny was predeceased by his parents, John B. and Bertha (Issacs) Mendez, and by his brother Richard Mendez and sister Bertha Mendez of New Bedford. He is survived by three children, Jacqueline (Mendez) Hansen of Seattle, Jermaine J. Mendez of Vineyard Haven, and Jody F. Mendez of West Tisbury, from his marriage to Gloria Fontes; by his brother Hebert Mendez of Stoughton; his sisters Rosie Mendez of New Bedford and Joan Daniels of Brockton; by five grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours (10 am) and services (11:30 am) will be held on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, at Chapman, Cole and Gleason, located at 56 Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road. Burial will be at Oak Grove Cemetery, and a reception will follow at the Portuguese-American Club in Oaks Bluffs. Please feel free to bring your favorite dish.

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Timothy Conrad Aureden died peacefully in Oak Bluffs on the evening of Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, surrounded by Diane, his wife of 45 years, four of his six surviving children, and two of his 15 grandchildren.

Born in Cleveland, Tim was raised in Rocky River, Ohio, and attended St. Edward’s High School before graduating from the University of Toronto, St. Michael’s College. He served as a lieutenant in the Navy in Hawaii for three years. Tim spent his professional career as an estate planner in Philadelphia, where he and Diane raised their family.

But what truly best defined Tim were his dual passions for sailing and for social justice. Under the auspices of the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, he founded the church’s Peacemaking Taskforce and fostered an exchange, through Bridges for Peace, with the Russian Orthodox Church. The taskforce also sponsored Prihort, a horticultural program at Graterford Penitentiary. Prihort served prisoners by offering restorative training in gardening in the prison greenhouse and gardens, and by supporting employment transitions when prisoners completed their sentences.

Tim’s passion for sailing began in high school with ownership of a Thistle, which he raced on Lake Erie, ably aided by five of his high school buddies. In 1966, Tim medaled in the National 420 Races. Over the following years, he owned and raced a Cal 25 and a Sonar. At the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, where he served on the board of governors, he was instrumental in founding the Sonar fleet, and headed the adult sailing program. Tim loved sharing his passion for sailing and being out on the water with his children, his grandchildren, and his great-nieces and -nephews.

Services are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 pm at the West Tisbury Congregational Church.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Camp Jabberwocky (MVCPC), P.O. Box 1357, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

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David Carlisle Thompson, age 84, died peacefully on Jan. 11, 2020, at his home on Fuller Street, Edgartown, following a period of declining health. He was grateful for the assistance of the compassionate team of nurses and skilled aides who made his last years comfortable. 

David was born in Attleboro on July 31, 1935, to Rupert Campbell Thompson Jr. and Eleanor Ball Thompson. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1953, and from Dartmouth College in 1957, and he remained a lifelong supporter of both institutions. After serving as an executive at Stanley Works in New Britain, Conn., in the 1960s, he and his wife Joan moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 1973. He founded Vineyard Yachts, a boatbuilding company based in Tisbury, where he produced seaworthy and elegant runabouts. In the 1980s he established LandVest Real Estate in Edgartown, and for more than 30 years, he was a leading real estate professional on the Island. Throughout his boatbuilding and real estate careers, he was capably assisted by Joan, who organized their offices and kept David on track. 

David was an avid outdoors enthusiast who embraced New England’s four seasons. He was an expert golfer, skier, waterfowl hunter, boater, and fisherman. He served as president of the Edgartown Golf Club from 1986 to 1992. He was a dedicated conservationist and longtime supporter of The Trustees of Reservations, Ducks Unlimited, and Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. He was also a member of the Edgartown Yacht Club and the Edgartown Reading Room. As a life trustee of the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, he and his colleague Ted Farrow initiated the acquisitions of 15 of the Island’s endangered landmarks.

He was predeceased by his brother, Peter Campbell Thompson and by Joan Palma Thompson, his beloved wife of 40 years. He is survived by his nephews, Andrew Thompson of Dover and Christopher Thompson of Darien, Conn., and their families. David also leaves many good friends who cared deeply for him, and who assisted with his care.

Prior to his marriage to Joan Palma Thompson, he was married to Alice Jane (“AJ”) Thompson. Following Joan’s death, he was briefly married to Anne P. Billings of McKinney, Texas; both of these marriages ended in divorce. 

There will be a memorial service in celebration of David’s life at 11 am on Saturday, March 14, at St. Andrew’s Church, Edgartown.

In honor of his loyal feline companions, contributions in David’s name may be made to the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1829, Edgartown, MA 02539.

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James L. Novack, 73, of West Tisbury, passed away on Jan. 15, 2020, following a long illness.

Jim was born in Greenwich, Conn., to Solomon and Sylvia (Cornwell) Novack in September 1946. He attended school in Port Chester, N.Y. He graduated from Ithaca College with a B.A and M.A. He married Leah A. Houghton on July 16, 1988, in Ithaca, NY. He worked as an audio-visual specialist for the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University for 28 years. Following a move to the Vineyard, Jim was the director and manager of the Performing Arts Center at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School from 1998 through 2008. 

Jim will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor, including an inability to repress puns, no matter how awful. He was quick to help anyone, anywhere, with audio-visual issues, and later spent some years as the “technical guru” at the Chicken Alley Thrift Store. Never one to shun a garage sale, Jim had the ability to find a home (most often his home) for any and all items that needed fixing.

The family wishes to extend sincere thanks to Dr. Samuel Elias, Bridges Assisted Living, Beacon Hospice, and his many, wonderful friends.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Solomon and Sylvia Novack. He is survived by his wife, Leah; his brother David (Beth); and his nephew, Robert (Kevin). 

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held in September of this year. Donations in Jim’s name may be made to the Performing Arts Center, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, P.O. Box 1385, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.

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Bob Pacl of Belmont, West Tisbury, and Forestdale, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on Jan. 10, 2020. 

Bob was born in Cicero, Ill., and spent his early years there with his parents Bob and Lucille, and sisters Jan and Lee. Bob left high school to join the Navy toward the end of WWII, and returned afterward to Chicago to continue his studies. He earned his degree in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois while courting his future wife, Florence (“Tilda”) Fritzsche. 

The Pacl family moved from Chicago to Bedford, where Bob worked for Lincoln Lab while pursuing a master’s degree at MIT. Robert and Barbara were born in Massachusetts before the family headed west again, to St. Paul, Minn., where Valerie and Dianne were born. The next move was to Willow Grove, Pa., until the family finally settled down in Belmont, where Bob took a job with Raytheon.

Bob was an enthusiastic traveler, and planned a great vacation trip every summer — cross-country America, Europe, Canada, to name a few. These trips created memories that make everyone smile still. Bob and Tilda shared a love of family, and made it a point to visit with cousins, aunts, and uncles at every opportunity. Family trips often included an RV and destinations that offered swimming, skiing, hiking, and horseback riding.

Bob is survived by his son Robert of Harvard, and his daughters Elisabeth, Caroline, Abigail, and Kristin; by his daughter Barbara Bjornson of Carlisle and her sons Erik and Thomas and daughter Kelsey, and by his daughter Valerie Leri of Forestdale (Sandwich), and her sons Christopher and Matthew, and daughter Jessica, and by his daughter Dianne Pacl Cerrone of Orange, Conn., and her son Christian: and by his sisters Leora Garrett of Fort Myers, Fla., and Jan Hare of Port Angeles, Wash. He was predeceased by his son Robert (“Jack”) John.

A celebration of life will be held on Feb. 15 at the Scout House at 74 Walden St. in Concord from 3 to 6. Please join us, and bring a memory to recount for all! In lieu of flowers, donations to the Orangutan Project can be made in Bob’s memory. Bob was a conservationist at heart, and was particularly passionate about saving the orangutans, which face extinction brought about by multinational corporations destroying their habitats. To learn more, visit theorangutanproject.org.

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Nathaniel J. Orleans (“Ned”), 95, of Vineyard Haven, died peacefully on March 10, 2019, at the Henrietta Brewer House.

Ned was born in 1924 in New York City, the youngest of three children of his father Joseph, a math teacher (for over 50 years!) at George Washington High School, and his mother Judith, a homemaker. His connection to Martha’s Vineyard began in early childhood. The family first visited the Island in 1925, and subsequently returned every summer. A favorite family story illustrates Ned’s immediate attachment to the Island: Ned was about 6 years old, and upon hearing that it was time to go to the ferry to leave Martha’s Vineyard at the end of the summer, he promptly climbed a tree and refused to come down. (The family missed the departing ferry.)

Ned graduated from George Washington High School in 1941, and entered Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His college career was interrupted by service in the Navy, where he was a radarman on the destroyer USS Benner in the Pacific, and was part of the occupation force after the war. After his release from service in 1946, he returned to Antioch College, majoring in math. There he had the good fortune to meet Ellen Shufro. Ned and Ellen married upon their graduation from Antioch in 1948. They spent two years in Dayton, Ohio, where Ned worked for Rike’s Department Store, and then moved to Boston, where Ned earned an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1952.

Ned and Ellen made their home in Alexandria, Va. Ned became an executive with Woodward & Lothrop, a local department store chain. They had two children, Jonathan in 1954, and Jennifer in 1959. Ned and Ellen were both active in the children’s schools, and in the mid-1960s, Ned was appointed to the Fairfax County, Va., school board. The family came to the Vineyard nearly every summer, usually staying in the Lagoon Heights area near Ned’s parents, where they eventually bought a house.

Ned left Woodward & Lothrop in 1970, and went to work for Federated Department Stores in Cincinnati. The family lived in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Then in 1973, Ned made a major career change, leaving the world of retailing to bring his business skills — particularly in strategic planning and facilities management — to the Fairfax County Public Schools as an assistant superintendent for planning. The family returned to Alexandria.

Ned and Ellen retired and fulfilled their lifelong dream when they moved full-time to Martha’s Vineyard in 1989. Harold Chapdelaine built their house off Winyah Lane, on a street that eventually became known as Chapde Lane. They were active in the community. Ellen became a member of the board of trustees of the Vineyard Haven Public Library. In 2004, Ned was appointed (and later elected) to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, to which he brought his training and experience as a planner, and where he advocated for thoughtful, intelligent development that preserved the Island’s special character. Ned was frequently sought out for his perspective on Island affairs, and was a mentor to younger friends interested in involvement in Island politics. He also became a much-beloved crossing guard for students attending Tisbury School. And after a lifetime rooting for New York and Washington, D.C., sports teams, he transferred his allegiance, and became a devoted fan of the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots.

After Ellen died in September 2015, Ned lived for a time at Havenside in Vineyard Haven, and then moved to Brewer House. While he struggled with various health issues, he remained both physically and mentally active, walking to town as frequently as he could, participating in discussion groups, and joining friends for movies and dinners. To the end, he could always be counted on to express strong opinions about Island affairs. 

Ned is survived by his daughter Jennifer, her husband John Skrovan, and their children Sarah and Matthew; his son Jonathan, Jon’s wife Linda Liefland, and their children Eliza and Rebecca; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. He had a particularly close relationship with his nephew Jeffrey Orleans. On the Island, Gladys Segal, Lesley Segal, and Sandie Corr-Dolby were special friends, as was Bonne Knipfer off-Island. Jon and Jen express particular appreciation to the owners and staff at the Henrietta Brewer House.

A memorial service for Ned will take place at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center on Sunday, March 22, 2020, at noon. Donations may be made in his memory to the American Civil Liberties Union, or to the Island-focused charity of the donor’s choice.

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Juanita Z. DuBose, 85, passed away on Jan. 24, 2020.

Juanita received her master’s degree in nursing from New York University, New York, N.Y., and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Rutgers State University, Newark, N.J. She was a nurse manager at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, a nurse manager at the Veterans Administration Hospital in East Orange, N.J., served as a staff nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and as a nurse manager at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

Prior to her career in nursing, she was an EEG technician at Massachusetts General in Boston. She wrote several articles for medical journals, and authored a book titled “Neurophysiologic Testing EEG.”

She was a beloved mother, and will be missed every day. 

Juanita leaves behind her husband, Tilmon L. DuBose; her daughter, Tracy L. DuBose; her son, Tilmon L. DuBose III; her sister, Curt Gates; her nieces, Gina Gates, Vickie Gates, Leslie Gates, and Kim Gates: and her nephew, Norman Gates. Her mother, Lillie Pearl Payton, and her father, Wallace Zeigler, predeceased her.

The family wish not to have any service or donations at this time.

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On Jan. 20, 2020, David Garland Dutton Jr. passed away in Oak Bluffs, surrounded by family. He was 93 years old. 

His life began on May 31, 1926, in Springfield, the first of four children born to Constance Mumford and David G. Dutton. Soon after, they moved to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where Dave’s father was president of the A.C. Dutton Lumber Corp., a family business with facilities up and down the East Coast, and one of the first businesses to pressure-treat wood products. 

Dave attended the Poughkeepsie Day School and, subsequently, the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn. Upon graduation, he joined the Navy’s V-5 Aviation Training Program, and was sent to Wesleyan University to continue his training. While in the Navy, he served on the USS Raymond, as well as the USS Silverstein. When the war ended, he was discharged, and attended Williams College for further education.

In 1949, Dave met Barbara McDowell on the shore of Cream Hill Lake in Cornwall, Conn. Their attraction was instantaneous, and lasted for more than 70 years. Married in July 1950, they would eventually raise four sons: David, Allan, John, and Robert. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, the family split their time between Poughkeepsie and their beloved Vineyard home in Harthaven. During those years, Dave was elected as leader of the NBMDA, a national lumber wholesalers association, while serving as president of the Dutton family business, which was eventually sold, giving him the ability to move his family to the Vineyard year-round. 

In 1976, he started an Island business based on what he knew best: building materials. Islanders will remember him best as the owner of Dutton’s Home Center (“Do Something Constructive”), located on State Road in Vineyard Haven. For two decades, he regularly dispensed wit and wisdom, and the store became a place where people would come to hang out, pick up building supplies, get a DIY lesson, or enjoy a story. 

Throughout his life, Dave explored his many interests. In the 1960s he earned a pilot’s license, and flew his single-engine Cessna airplane in and out of Tradewinds Airport in Oak Bluffs. Dave was a dedicated casual golfer, elected to the Oak Bluffs finance committee, and was a one-term president of the Harthaven Association. After selling the Home Center, Dave took to traveling in an RV, earning the moniker of “Camper Dave,” regularly visiting Nova Scotia, but also taking journeys West, making it to both Alaska and California. 

Dave is survived by his wife Barbara and their four sons, David (and wife Renee and son Stanley) of Vineyard Haven, Allan (and wife Bianca and son Allan Lourden) of Jamaica Plain, John (and daughter Chloe) of Las Cruces, N.M., and Robert (and wife Molly Conole and children Amelia and Simon) of Oak Bluffs.
No public services will be held.

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With loved ones by his side, John Augustus Lowe Jr., age 94, of Oak Bluffs and Canton died peacefully on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.

Born June 22, 1925, in Leominster, John was a proud Navy veteran of WWII. He grew up in Leominster, graduated from Leominster High School in 1943, and immediately enlisted in the Navy. After WWII ended, he was discharged in 1946. While attending Boston University, he met his life’s love, Roberta Hackett.

He graduated from BU in 1949. For 35 years, he worked for Burroughs Corp. (now Unisys) as a salesman and sales manager. He then worked for NCR Corp. for another six years. He retired in 1990, and wintered in Venice, Fla. In Venice, he was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 301, Sarasota Sahib Shrine, the VFW Post 8118, the Evangelical Covenant Church of Venice, and an active member of the Venice Isle community.

Since 1949, after being introduced to Martha’s Vineyard by his wife Roberta, Dad spent summers on the MVCMA Campgrounds. For many years, he was an active member of the Campgrounds, and manager of the MVCMA Museum. For the past three years, he resided at an assisted living center in Canton. There, with his outgoing personality and charm, he was the unofficial “mayor.” 

To Dad there were no strangers, just new friends waiting to be met. He is now reunited with his old friends and loved ones. We’re sure he’s making new friends in Heaven. He will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Instead of tears or sympathy, we ask that you raise a toast to Dad for a long life well lived. He leaves us with wonderful memories and a great legacy. May we all be so lucky!
He was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Roberta, in 2015, and by his eldest son, John III, in 1974. Survivors include his four children, Craig and his wife Edie of Oak Bluffs, Gary and his wife Elizabeth of Canton, Nancy (Casey) and her husband Claude of Pawtucket, R.I., and Timothy and his wife Terry of Oak Bluffs. He is also survived by his brother Charles and his wife Alice of Newbury Park, Calif., his sister Marcia of Leominster, six grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews.

There will be a celebration of his life this summer at the Tabernacle in the Campgrounds in Oak Bluffs. 

Memorial contributions can be made to the MVCMA Tabernacle Restoration Fund (checks can be written to the “MVCMA,” with “Tabernacle Restoration Fund” on the memo line) and sent to MVCMA, P.O. Box 1685, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, or to a charity of your choice, or use the money to treat yourself to a good time. 

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Robert E. Stafursky, 35, of Lowell, and formerly of Oak Bluffs, died unexpectedly on Tuesday morning, Feb. 4, 2020. Rob was the son of Margaret A. Stafursky and the late William Stafursky, and the fiancé of Sheila McDonald. 

Rob’s memorial Mass will be celebrated in St. Augustine’s Church, Franklin Street, in Vineyard Haven on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 am, followed by burial in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Vineyard Avenue, in Oak Bluffs. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to M.V. Community Services, Attn: Veterans’ Services, 111 Edgartown Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568. Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. Visit ccgfuneralhome.com for online guestbook and information.

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Jean Gatting, 100 and a half (noted because half counts a lot more after 100), died peacefully on the morning of Feb. 6, 2020, after a lifetime of laughter, lively conversation, quilting circles, bingo, and an affinity for all living things. From a family of farmers, her favorite days were spent with the sun at her back and her hands in the dirt, growing flowerbeds that would stop passersby, and loads of vegetables that became wonderful summer suppers. The birds were her background music. She carried her love of gardening to the Vineyard, planting, weeding, and hoeing for as long as she could, and when she tired, directing from her porch rocking chair. 

Jean grew up on a large farm in Connecticut, in a close family of 11 children. She was the last sibling standing of five brothers, Frank, Aleck, Walter and Charles Murkowicz and her twin brother Michael Murkowicz, and five sisters, Mary Christensen, Christina Elder, Kathryn Gatting, Helen Pascoe and Bertha Talbot. She would have replicated this large family if she could, but instead she opened her home to foster children of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and disabilities, taking in more children than one can remember. Sometimes they stayed for several nights, while many had a home for years. The rest of the family never quite knew what they would come home to after school, creating an atmosphere that celebrated adventure, adaptability, and diversity. People in the grocery store would look on in curiosity and wonderment at the rainbow of children surrounding Jean; it always kept life interesting. 

She spent many happy, engaged years at the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living, where she was said to be the life of the party. In lieu of flowers, she would have been pleased to have donations made in her memory to the Center for Living, P.O. Box 1729, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or online at mvcenter4living.org/donate.

Jean was predeceased by Charles Gatting, her fun-loving husband of 50 years. She is survived by three daughters, Ann-Marie Ely of Windsor, Conn., Carlene Gatting of Edgartown and her husband Fred Condon, and Aida Sorkin of Boston and her husband Steven Sorkin, as well as her adoring grandchildren, Matthew and Melissa Sorkin, Alexis and Mackenzie Condon, and Shinelle Baker. 

A celebration of Jean’s well-lived life will be held at the Federated Church, South Summer Street in Edgartown, on Feb. 22 at 11 am, followed by a luncheon at the Harbor View Hotel. All are welcome.

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