Penny Clarke Wigglesworth, of Naples, Fla., formerly of Marblehead, born on Dec. 29, 1938, passed away on May 30, 2020, at the Avow Hospice House in Naples. She transitioned to “a place of pure love,” into the awaiting arms of her late parents Charlotte (Rogers) and John Allen (“Jack”) Clarke, and her late husband of 41 amazing years, Giff Wigglesworth Jr. She also joins her sisters, Kimball Clarke Brooks and Carolyn Rogers Antonik. 

Penny was extremely proud of being the first national sales manager for Harbor Sweets. Her next big accomplishment was the creation of the Penny Bear Co., a safe, welcoming community of people who would come together to provide comfort to others in need of a “hug.” The Penny Bear hugs reached so many people’s hearts near and far; from homes, hospitals, and into schools, “Life Is Good” Hunter bears, “Slow down for Allie” bears, to donations of bears, books, and calendars to various organizations, hospices, Paul Newman’s Camp, Haiti Hurricane relief, Shriners Hospital, and so many more. When Penny went to Naples in the winters, she brought her workshop and book clubs with her, which also extended to friends in Roanoke, Va. Of course, she didn’t stop with just the Penny Bear workshop. She extended her arms and opened her home to support groups and healing activities. One of the support groups was for those living with Parkinson’s, which Penny ended up struggling with for the past 10-plus years. Parkinson’s finally took its toll, as Penny went on to her next chapter, peacefully holding her children’s hands, with a Penny Bear in her arms. 

Mom said on one of her last days with us that she was so lucky to have had such a great life, to have met so many special people, and to have such a wonderful family. We were the lucky ones to have had her as our Mom, Grammy, Aunt, and friend: Nancy Wigglesworth Dugan (Dion) of Vineyard Haven and Brewster, Giff Wigglesworth III (Sue) of Marblehead, Sally Wigglesworth Cioffi (Doug) of Marblehead, John Clarke Wigglesworth (Stacey) of Sacramento, Calif.; Lt. Johnathan (U.S. Navy) and Thomas Dugan, James, Chris, and Nick Wigglesworth, Drew, Sam, Ford, and Alexa Cioffi, Abby and Reese Wigglesworth, along with her nieces and nephews (Rogers, Brooks, and Caldwells); her extended family, and many many friends; as well as all of the lives she touched through her support, caring, and hugs with her Penny Bear Co.

Donations in Penny’s memory can be made to your local hospice, Avow Hospice in Naples, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, or the Penny Bear Co., 6 Elmwood Rd., Marblehead, MA 01945; or as simply as just giving someone a hug who needs it! 

A celebration of Penny’s life will be held at 2 pm on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Tedesco Country Club (any COVID-19 precautions at that time will be determined and posted closer to the date). Arrangements are under care of Legacy Options Funeral & Cremation Services, Naples.

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Katherlyn Harrison passed away after a long battle with dementia on May 30, 2020. 

Born Katherlyn Elise DuBose, on May 26, 1927, in Pensacola, Fla., she was known to family and friends as “Little Sister.” She was the last living of the 11 DuBose children born at 611 West Jackson St. to Ever and Robert DuBose. 

She was a graduate of Bethune Cookman University, where she met her husband of 64 years, Carl C. Harrison I. She was a dedicated educator, spending more than 40 years teaching in the East Windsor, Conn., school system. She was a founding member of the Farmington Valley Links, and an active member of the New Haven Chapter of Girl Friends Inc. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and will be remembered by her home chapter, Delta Iota Omega. She loved Martha’s Vineyard, cherishing her time there with family every year, May to October. She loved to dance with her husband. They were so very elegant together. 

Our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, MimiKay is survived by her husband, Carl C, Harrison I, daughter Lisa Harrison Hall (Sterling W. Hall), grandson Carl C Harrison II and granddaughter Marlina Duncan, and great-grandson Sterling V. Wilson, and numerous nieces, nephews, godchildren, and friends. 

A memorial service will be held at a later date, to be announced. In lieu of flowers, a scholarship fund has been established in her name. Donations can be made at the Prosperity Foundation website tpfct.org, to the Katherlyn D. and Carl C. Harrison fund​. To leave a message of comfort for the Harrison family, please visit hkhfuneralservices.com.

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Roberta Lea Hutchison passed away quietly in her sleep, with her life partner John and her velcro Havanese Watson by her side, on June 1, 2020. 

Robbie was born in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 2, 1957, but moved to northern Virginia with her family at an early age. Her early hobbies and interests included Girl Scouting, ballet, and sewing, which she learned from her mother.

She graduated from Herndon High School with the class of 1975, then attended the University of Virginia. One of her proudest achievements was earning a B.S. degree from UVA in environmental science, a very new discipline in 1979. She began work as a software engineer, and obtained a master’s degree in computer science soon afterward, from George Washington University.

In 1988, she married her sweetheart, John Hartley. They were married the rest of her life.

In the mid-’90s, Robbie decided to change careers, and went back to GWU. Through many hours of classroom and field training, she became a landscape designer without equal.

She and John then fulfilled their dream, and moved to the the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. There, for the next 18 years, she helped create breathtaking gardens and vistas in every corner of the Island. Her contributions and designs will be enjoyed for decades.

The couple retired to Naples, Fla., in 2017, planning on a long, quiet retirement. Robbie attended the two-year-long Greater Naples Leadership masters program, and graduated in the class of XXIII. Her adult interests always included science, nature, and community service.

She began her unfortunate journey with breast cancer in 2012. Despite world-class treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, the cancer progressed, and eventually spread.

She is survived by her loving husband John, and by her father and sister.

She requests donations be made to Silent Spring Institute in Newton, or simply, “Go plant a tree. Any kind. Anywhere.”

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John Albert Hargreaves (“Jack”) died at age 87 on June 8, 2020. 

Jack was born on August 4, 1932, in Willimantic, Conn., to Edna Vanderman Hargreaves and John Albert Hargreaves. Jack graduated in 1950 from Willimantic High School, where he played on the football team and was inducted into the Boy Scouts of America’s prestigious Order of the Arrow. 

Jack graduated from Amherst College in 1954, and was active in alumni activities, especially with the Amherst Association on Martha’s Vineyard. He earned an MBA from the University of Hartford in 1968 while raising a family and holding down a full-time job. 

After his graduation from Amherst, Jack joined the Army and served from 1954 to 1956. (Two days before he died, he could still recite his serial number.) Jack was posted to Germany, but his departure was delayed by the illness of his father. By the time he arrived in Germany, his unit had already deployed, and it was too late to rejoin.

Jack reported to the local personnel office for assignment, and quickly recognized the officer, who had caddied at the same country club in Connecticut where Jack had worked a summer job as a lifeguard. Wanting to help a buddy, the officer suggested an assignment in Munich, changing Jack’s life forever. Jack worked in the office of personnel, traveling to U.S. bases across Europe to administer personnel assessments. He took advantage of everything Munich had to offer, from attending classes at the University of Munich to hoisting an occasional beer at the Hofbrauhaus. 

A co-worker introduced Jack to Ute Ziemer, a young German woman who worked for the Army as an interpreter. Ute, who had previously declined invitations by several American soldiers who invited her to bars, said yes to Jack when he invited her to an opera.

Jack and Ute’s courtship included frequent trips to the opera and ski outings in the Alps. By the time Jack was discharged from the Army in 1956, they were engaged. Jack returned to Connecticut after completing his military service, and his fiancée followed shortly. Jack and Ute were married on July 13, 1957, in Storrs, Conn., and remained married for 61 years, until Ute’s death in 2018.

After leaving the Army, Jack took a job with the Stanley Works, and remained with the company for 28 years. Through the Stanley Works, Jack, Ute, and their three children moved to Weatogue, Conn.; Scituate; Plainville, Conn.; Allentown, Pa.; São Paulo, Brazil, where Jack ran Stanley’s Brazilian subsidiary; Windsor, England, where Jack ran the company’s European and Middle East operations; and back to Connecticut. 

Jack eventually left the Stanley Works and joined Walter Kidde, moving to Chapel Hill, N.C., and eventually returned with Ute to Brazil for two more years before retiring in 1993 to Sarasota, Fla. 

Jack was a competitive and enthusiastic athlete throughout his life, playing football in high school and college and, in his adult life, enjoying squash, tennis, and golf. He served multiple terms as a town councilman in Plainville, Conn. including a term as council president, and volunteered for many years as treasurer of the East Chop Tennis Club on Martha’s Vineyard. 

Jack was an accomplished handyman, and spent countless hours maintaining and restoring the beloved summer home he and Ute bought on Martha’s Vineyard in 1978. He particularly loved doing stonework, including building dry stone walls and laying flagstone. He eventually learned and was struck by the fact that a relative from his past had been a stonemason. He was an excellent cook, and enjoyed nothing so much as gathering his family for dinners at the Vineyard house.

An avid student of history, Jack read voraciously (in both English and German), and researched the genealogies of both his and Ute’s families. He took pride in the fact that his father immigrated at age 16 to the U.S. from Yorkshire, England, and that his mother could trace her roots in Connecticut to before 1860. Jack fondly recalled growing up at 3 Turner St. in Willimantic, in a house which still stands today. He also vividly remembered the 1938 New England Hurricane, one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to strike the region. 

Between Jack’s extensive reading and his unfailing recall, he always had facts and details at his command. He used them to debate politics and to regale his family and friends with stories of historic figures and events. His friends laughed that they could rarely get a word in edgewise when Jack was holding forth.

Jack is the beloved father of son John, daughters Christine Hargreaves Ewing and Anne Hargreaves Corley; grandfather of Heather Ewing Lane, Celeste Ewing, and John Corley; and great-grandfather of Ava, Kyla, Ella, and Michael Lane. He was adored by his family, and will be sorely missed.

Memorial contributions may be made to Camp Jabberwocky, P.O. Box 1357, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or at campjabberwocky.org/giving.

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Carol L. (Corso) Derry, born in 1941, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 12, 2020, at home in Providence, R.I. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was a daughter of Edward Corso and Jean Vincenza Vigliotti Corso, and older sister to the late Edwina Corso. She received her nursing degree from Mary Immaculate Hospital School of Nursing in New York City, and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Boston University. 

Carol raised her family in Newton for 20 years, where she worked as a Realtor. She was the “cool mom” that all the kids came to because they felt accepted in her home. A lover of the Cape and Islands, she later moved to East Chop on Martha’s Vineyard, after spending many summers in Provincetown. On the Vineyard, she was a visiting nurse at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and a nurse in the Oak Bluffs School, working with special-needs children. She worked in early childhood intervention later in life for the state of New York, and cared deeply about children. 

She was an avid gardener with a large vegetable garden on the Vineyard, and even in her small urban backyard, she recently found space to plant an apple tree, which she was so proud of. 

She actively promoted healthy living through good food, and was a religious follower of the keto diet — which she would not let anyone forget. On Martha’s Vineyard, she was a part of the Slow Food Movement, a member of the Agricultural Society, and believed strongly in farm-to-table dining. She was also a longtime member of the Italian-American Club and the Trollope Society. 

Four years ago, after 23 years on Martha’s Vineyard, she settled in Providence, R.I. to be closer to her family. Passionate about her Italian heritage, she loved studying the language, cooking family recipes with her granddaughter, listening to opera, and spending her winters in Rome, where she returned each year. In fact, it was on an Alitalia flight that she met her partner, Mike Wilson, with whom she spent her last four years happily enjoying “la dolce vita.” 

She had an impeccable fashion sense, and always dressed in style. Carol could toss a scarf around her neck, apply lipstick, change her shoes, and walk out the door like she stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. Her strong sense of style didn’t stop at what she wore; she was larger than life and a fabulous force to be reckoned with. 

You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out of the girl. As a longtime friend shared, she lived with courage, defiance, and a living-out-loud New York Italian constitution. She always invited lively conversations, whether about politics, healthcare, or people she loved. Over her 78 years she touched many lives, leaving a legacy of love, kindness and acceptance of others. She is unforgettable.

She leaves behind her sons, Richard Derry, (Mary Ann and Sylvie Mayer); and Johnathan Derry (Amy Wynne); her granddaughter, Celeste Lucia Derry; her partner, Mike Wilson; and a large extended family. 

Her visitation will be held Thursday, June 18, at Bellows Funeral Chapel, 160 River Road, Lincoln, R.I., from 10 to 11:30 am, followed by burial in Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, R.I. Please note: Per the R.I. Dept. of Health, due to COVID-19, only 15 people may be in the funeral home at any time during the visitation. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Carol’s memory to the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, P.O. Box 73, West Tisbury, MA 02575, or at marthasvineyardagriculturalsociety.org, would be appreciated. For directions and guestbook, please visit bellowsfuneralchapel.com.

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Danguole Gabis, a longtime resident of Martha’s Vineyard, passed away on June 17, 2020. 

For a number of years she taught at the Regional High School. After retirement she worked at Vineyard Gardens. 

She is survived by her three children, Rachel Hessen of Nantucket, Rita Gabis of New York City, and David Gabis of West Tisbury. 

The internment at Abel’s Hill Cemetery will be at a later date. For online guestbook and information, please visit ccgfuneralhome.com.

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Dr. Susan Whiting Shanok, N.C. Psy. A. of New York City and Chilmark, passed away peacefully in her sleep early in the morning on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. 

Susan was the wife of William Shanok for 56 years, mother to Tory Dolan, Sarah Kitchens, and Tovah Shanok, predeceased by her beloved son Gabriel Shanok, and grandmother to five grandchildren, Emma, Katie, Will III, Gabe, and Hazel. 

Susan moved to New York from Peabody after attending college in Boston, then received her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from NYU. In 1974, Susan was a contributor to Woman’s World magazine. She was a practicing psychoanalyst and international mediator, and an active member on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP), where she served as president from 1992 to ’94. Susan worked as a divorce mediator, notably with LGBTQ couples before their unions were recognized by New York State. She was well-respected by her patients and colleagues, who praised her insight and dedication.

Susan would generously give you the earrings she was wearing if you admired them, was always willing to lend her expertise to help a stranger or friend to solve a problem, and found the bright side to almost any situation. While working as the original “galley girl” in Menemsha when the restaurant still had a counter inside, she spilled an entire bowl of hot soup on the actor James Cagney, known casually to the locals as Jimmy, and quickly responded with, “Don’t worry Mr. Cagney, I’ll get you another bowl of soup.” She and a friend got lost one night driving around Berlin in 1989, and figured they could find their way by following a growing crowd of people, carrying ladders and hammers, all headed in one direction, soon after stumbling upon the fall of the Wall, and celebrating with the locals as East and West Germany were reunited. Before the invention of the Internet, Susan struck up conversations with fellow passengers on planes arranging house exchanges with her home on Middle Road, allowing her and her family to explore foreign countries and locales, forming lifelong friendships with strangers. In a ritual begun in the 1950s to extend post-shift dump trips from the Galley, Susan enjoyed taking a final spin around the dock, a pastime she continued for the rest of her life. She will be dearly missed by family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod-Martha’s Vineyard.

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Katherine G. Manning, 96, of Oak Bluffs, formerly of North Quincy, passed away on June 23, 2020.

Katherine was a member of the Holy Ghost Association for many years, where she served as secretary. Her involvement with the SERVE food program also occupied many of her years.

She was the beloved mother of Marilyn Manning of Byfield, and W. Richard Manning of Oak Bluffs. She was the mother of the late Kathy Maseda, and the late Joan Cobb. Her beloved companion for 35 years, Joseph Nunes, died in 2008. She is survived by her adored grandchildren, Ryan (Kelley) Cobb, Caitlin Goodhile, Emily and Daniel Manning, and Brendan Maseda; her treasured great-grandchildren, Madeline, Zachary, Taylor, Isabella, and Cameron; her great-great-grandson, Everett; her nieces, Marlene Fraser and Nanci Gotelli of Stockton, Calif.; her sons-in-law Wayne Cobb of Bridgewater and James Maseda of Oak Bluffs.

Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 11 to 12, at Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 56 Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs. A burial will follow at 12:30 at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Vineyard Avenue, Oak Bluffs.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Benevolent Fund at the Holy Ghost Association would be appreciated, at P.O. Box 2203, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.

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

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Donald Hurley Jr., beloved husband of 51 years to the late Nancy Mae Hurley, died on March 18, 2020, after a long illness. He was 78.

Born on Nov. 15, 1941, in Boston, Don was the son of Donald J. and Miriam Greene Hurley, who summered in Chilmark, beginning in the late 1940s. In 1954, the family built a home, Quitsa Mooring, on Nashaquitsa Pond. The property features a landmark flagpole which still flies the American flag when any of the Hurley family is in residence.

The year 1954 was significant for all Vineyarders, as Hurricane Carol pounded the Island and destroyed the Harris Creek Bridge, near the unfinished Hurley house. For several weeks, Don and his younger brother, Steve, provided ferry service in their rowboat to stranded up-Islanders until the Army Corps of Engineers could replace the bridge. During his early Vineyard summers, Don was a member of the Chilmark Little League baseball team, the Tigers, where he made friendships that lasted a lifetime, including with great pal Wesley Cottle of Chilmark. In his teens, Don spent several summers delivering milk for the Martha’s Vineyard Dairy, and working as a swordfish spotter out of Menemsha. In adulthood, he enjoyed playing golf at Farm Neck Golf Club, where he was a charter member.

Don was a graduate of Belmont Hill School and a member of the class of 1964 at Harvard College. Don served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the mid-1960s. He married Nancy Mae Burns on Oct. 15, 1966. After several years in Manhattan, where he was in Chemical Bank’s executive training program, they moved to Lloyd Harbor, Long Island, and lived there until Nancy Mae’s death in 2017. Don was a director of the British investment bank Kleinwort Benson. He retired as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Institute for Applied Economics, a research organization.

Don leaves his cherished daughter, Courtney Hurley Pierson, and her husband, Timothy of Hanover, N.H.; his devoted granddaughter, Catherine Christine Pierson (Katie); two sisters, Rosamond P.H. Shugrue (Page) and her husband, Edward, of Largo, Fla., and Cornelia Hurley McPeek of Brookline; a brother, Stephen Nash Hurley, of Chestnut Hill; a brother-in-law, Howard W. Burns Jr. and his wife, Karen Murdock of Cedar Grove, N.J.; many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and 11 godchildren.

In March, the family held a private, graveside service at the Chilmark Cemetery, where he was buried beside Nancy Mae and their two infant children. There will be memorial celebrations of Don’s life in Lloyd Harbor and Chilmark once social distancing restrictions are eased. 

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Don’s memory to Belmont Hill School, 350 Prospect Street, Belmont, MA 02478.

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Robyn Bandele Nash, Esq., 66, of Edgartown died on Thursday evening, June 25, 2020, at the family home in Oak Bluffs. 

She was predeceased by her parents, Mildred L. (Teixeira) Nash and Robert J. Nash. 

Her graveside service will be held on Sunday, July 5, at 5 pm in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Pacific Avenue, Oak Bluffs.

 Donations in her memory may be made to the Jimmy Fund, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168, or jimmyfund.org. 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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A longtime resident of Martha’s Vineyard, Christopher Owen Fried died on June 20, 2020. He was 73 years old.

Chris is survived by his daughter, Heather Dyas-Fried; son-in-law, Sean Roach, and two grandchildren, Everest and Opal; as well as his siblings Walter Fried and Susanne Farrington, and two ex-wives, with whom he remained friends.

Chris is finally at peace after battling Lewy body dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. He suffered from lifelong depression, and for the last few years, chronic Lyme disease. Both illnesses played a role in his dementia.

Born in Great Neck Plaza, N.Y., on July 11, 1946, Chris grew up on Long Island. He studied mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. In the mid-1970s he moved to Pennsylvania with his first wife, Melissa Dyas, where he began his career in renewable energy. In 1985 Chris and his second wife, Judy Salosky, bought land and moved to Vineyard Haven. He focused on designing, building, and renovating homes to be more energy-efficient. Some of his M.V. contributions include working as a solar engineer, an air quality consultant, and the clerk of works for Edgartown School, Island Elderly Housing, Edgartown Police Station and Town Hall, and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

Environmentalism and peace activism were his life’s work. Chris was very active in his community, organizing rallies, attending town meetings, and posting signs around the Island about ending war and stopping climate change. Chris was involved in the Peace Council and Habitat for Humanity. For decades he provided affordable housing for year-round Islanders. An avid bike rider, he was passionate about the safety of bike paths on M.V. Chris was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of M.V. and studied “A Course in Miracles.”

People knew Chris as a gentle spirit, a good listener, an honest, hard worker, and a devoted father. Chris loved animals, and was often seen walking his dog. From the time he was born, sailing was a part of his life, and later he became a competitive windsurfer. He played the guitar and piano, and sang in the choir. He took joy in tending to his organic vegetable garden. Except for the occasional batch of homemade ice cream, eating nutritious, healthy food was his top priority. Over the years he played ice hockey, volleyball, and Ping-Pong, and practiced yoga.

Chris worked with and donated to causes too varied and plentiful to list. If you would like to make a donation in Chris’s memory, please choose your favorite environmental or peace organization.

A potluck beach party will be planned next summer to celebrate his life. We hope to see Chris there, as he often said he might return as a seagull.

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Carl E. Greer Jr., 84, died Saturday night, June 27, 2020, at his home at Woodside Village in Oak Bluffs. 

A memorial service will be held at a later date, and a complete obituary will appear at that time. 

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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Mary Stokes French, 92, of West Tisbury, passed away on June 29, 2020, at her home. She was the wife of the late George M. French Jr., who passed in January 2010. 

A burial will be held at a later date at the Lambert’s Cove Cemetery in West Tisbury. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary’s memory can be made to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, online at hospiceofmv.org/donations, or mailed to P.O. Box 1748, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or to the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, online at animalshelterofmv.org/donate, or mailed to P.O. Box 1829, Edgartown, MA 02539. 

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

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Allan F. Davey, 85, died on Monday morning, June 29, 2020, at his home in Vineyard Haven. He was predeceased by his wife, Judith C. (Knudsen) Davey, in February 2014. 

Visitation will be held on Friday, July 3, from 10 am to 11:30 am in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. Burial will follow in the Oak Grove Cemetery, State Road, Vineyard Haven. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Allan’s memory can be made to the Tisbury Firefighters Association, P.O. Box 1239, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 (checks can be made out to the Tisbury Firefighters Association; please put Firefighter’s Association in the memo). A full obituary will appear in another edition of this paper.

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John Stewart Moffet passed away peacefully in his Edgartown home, surrounded by his family, after a courageous battle with cancer.

John was born in Peoria, Ill., and grew up in the rural, western Illinois town of Monmouth. It was in small-town America that he acquired the character traits of honesty, loyalty, and integrity by which he tried to live his life. Blessed to travel extensively as a boy, John gained an appreciation of the beauties of our country. Family trips with his two brothers remained pleasant memories throughout his life. 

An above-average student through below-average effort, John preferred being outdoors, and enjoyed participating on the high school golf and swim teams. A life-changing event during high school was going to Camp Voyageur in Ely, Minn. There he met camp owner and future mentor Charlie Erdman, who, in addition to operating the camp, was a physical education professor at Depauw University in Greencastle, Ind.

The Voyageur philosophy was that each camper contribute as much as they were able, notwithstanding that each person would be able to contribute a different amount. It was an invaluable lesson for those in their formative years. The friendship and guidance gained at Camp Voyageur led John to attend Depauw University, a small liberal arts school in Indiana. It was there that he learned the direct relationship between effort and results. With a low military draft number, John made efforts as he never had before to secure his continued enrollment at Depauw.

He flourished at the small school, participating on Charlie Erdman‘s swim team, being a member of the junior and senior boards of the university, and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Equally important was working at the top sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, for four years. The risk of being sent to Vietnam instilled in John a mistrust of anyone in authority. As John graduated, the Vietnam War ended. His life changed at that moment. Instead of enlisting in Navy flight school, as he had contemplated, he headed to Martha’s Vineyard on the recommendation of a friend.

A chance meeting with Bob Carroll, who took John under his wing, led John to becoming the manager of the Kelley House. At that time, the Kelley House was the only year-round hotel on the island. The biggest decision in accepting that position was whether he wanted to stay on the Island all winter, having spent the previous two in Oahu, Hawaii, helping his uncle Stewart Riley build his home. 

A highlight of his Kelley House years was hosting the cast and crew of Universal Studios as they filmed the movie “Jaws.” A lifetime of friendships was formed that summer of 1974. Later on, while vacationing in Hawaii, he rekindled friendships with Universal Studios employees, which led him to working on the TV show “Magnum, P.I.” As difficult as it was to spend winters on Martha’s Vineyard, it was unsettling to live out of a suitcase, going back and forth between islands.

John later started working for L’Etoile Restaurant and the Edgartown Reading Room. It was at the Reading Room he met his future wife, Julie Williamson. They were married on September 11, 1993. Later that year they built their home in Edgartown. The next of John’s happiest days was Feb. 17, 1999, with the birth of daughter Caroline Victoria. Another joyous occasion came as John and Julie traveled to China, where they adopted daughter Maggie Mei Xiao on Father’s Day, 2006. 

A lifetime avid golfer, John enjoyed the fellowship of the Vineyard Golf Course, the membership and tournaments at the Edgartown Golf Course, and playing in the tournaments at Farm Neck. John nearly achieved a hole-in-one on No. 17 at Pebble Beach, and finally achieved golf greatness with a 116-yard hole-in-one on No. 6 at the Woods Hole Golf Course on Oct. 19, 2017. He played for years in the Cape Cod Pro-Am league, where he gained an appreciation of the beauties of the Cape. He enjoyed the fact that golf courses are among the most beautiful properties on earth. In recent winters, he became a fan of the Providence College Friars, and took the girls to hockey games every weekend. On Sunday mornings, John could be found at the Federated Church of Martha’s Vineyard, where he was a member and former deacon.

John was loyal to a fault, compassionate, generous, engaging, even with strangers, with whom he was quick to share a smile, grateful for such a full life. It was his wish that he left each interaction with the other person feeling better about him/herself. John leaves the loves of his life, Caroline Victoria and Maggie Mei Xiao, their mother Julie Williamson, brothers Stephen and Howard, and a lifetime of friends. 

A celebration of John’s life is being planned for the fall.

In place of flowers, donations in John’s memory can be made to Camp Voyager, 709 Voyager Rd., Ely, MN 55731, or to the Anthony H. Meyer Junior Golf Trust, c/o MV Boys and Girls Club, P.O. Box 654, Edgartown, MA 02539.

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A celebration of life for Patrick (“Pat”) Ryer will be held at 1045 Mason Ave., Daytona Beach, Fla., on July 8, 2020. Pat was a landscaper and a musician for many years on the Vineyard. He leaves his beloved wife of 19 years, Paula Strople; and two stepchildren, Thomas Colligan of Daytona, and Jennifer Colligan Kuehne of Centerville. 

A potluck will follow to share memories.

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Robyn Bandele Nash, Esq., of Edgartown, a dancer and attorney, died peacefully on June 25, 2020. Her 14-year journey with cancer ended surrounded by loved ones in her family home. She was 66.

Robyn was born in Lagos, Nigeria, to parents Robert J. Nash, architect of Memphis, Tenn., and M. Teixeira Nash, artist, of Quincy and Oak Bluffs. Days after her birth, Robyn was honored with a Yoruba Komajadi naming ceremony and given the name Bandele, which means a child born away from home who shall return again.

At four months, Robyn moved to Washington, D.C., when her father returned to America to join the Army Corps of Engineers. Robyn began classical ballet studies at the age of 3 at the prestigious Jones-Haywood Dance School. Mother M. Teixeira Nash wanted her three children to continue the legacy of black professionals in Oak Bluffs, and brought the family to summer here each year, as her mother had brought her.

After a short break due to injury, Robyn returned to dancing at age 16, and expanded her study to tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary. She continued dancing while in college, and wrote, “Going to Howard and having a career as a professional dancer is an overwhelming task. But … I feel that I can do anything if I want to.” She graduated from Howard University in 1977 with a bachelor’s in journalism.

In 1976, Robyn founded dance company Theatre Movement Exchange, Inc., based in Washington, D.C., and performed as principal dancer with the company. She also served as a producer and choreographer for WJLA-TV’s “Studio ’78,” and performed with the LaVerne Reed Dancers. During her dance career in the 1960s and 1970s, Robyn shared a stage with Debbie Allen, Capitol Ballet Co., Alvin Ailey Dance Co., and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Robyn was a social butterfly who personified her favorite word, fierce.

Robyn played a key role in her parent’s businesses. For her contributions to the Minority Report 1979 for the National Endowment for the Arts, author M. Teixeira Nash featured her daughter’s dancer portrait on the cover. Robyn served as an arts agent for Teixeira, helping to open her mixed-media, one-woman show, “Scapes,” in New York City in 1981. Robyn also served as the director of business development for her father’s architecture firm, Robert J. Nash, FAIA, and Associates, P.C. The firm designed more than 100 churches and religious facilities, and developed numerous public buildings in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Robyn’s career shifted to law, and in 1989 she graduated from Howard University School of Law. Robyn was appointed as an administrative judge for the D.C. Office of Employee Appeals in 1991. Robyn was a soror in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a member of the Xi Zeta Omega chapter of Washington, D.C.

Robyn made the Island her year-round home in 1998. On the Vineyard, Robyn established a private law practice, handling estate and business law, and representing private clients as a public defender. She was a trustee of Union Chapel.

On her 52nd birthday in 2006, Robyn was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Her spirit and energy were never dashed through numerous surgeries and continued chemotherapy treatments. Robyn was beloved by all at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she was treated throughout her cancer battle. 

Robyn looked forward to participating in the Jimmy Fund Walk to raise money for Dana-Farber each year. About the walk she said, “God is love. And love conquers all. And Dana-Farber is all about the love.” She was honored as a Walk Hero from 2015 to 2018. 

Robyn maintained her infectious positivity until her last days. She embodied her mantra, “Love what you have; accept what you receive; give what you can; forgive what you can’t; and bless what you see. Be the source of light!”

She is survived by her companion of 12 years, Thomas Allen; siblings Carolyn Bettina Nash Burgess and Steven Andrew Nash; four nieces (Jennifer, Robyn Andrea, Gabrielle, and Juliette), one nephew (Spencer), and three cats (Max, Pumba, and Myron).

Services will commence at 5 pm on Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Oak Grove Cemetery, 299 State Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Robyn’s honor to the Jimmy Fund, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168, or at jimmyfund.org. 

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

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Barbara Ann Almquist died peacefully in her home in Edgartown on June 23, 2020, with her daughter by her side. She was 86 years of age. Her death was brought on by metastatic melanoma. 

Born in Davenport, Iowa, on Nov. 6, 1933, she was the daughter of Paul and Elsie Almquist. Her childhood years were spent in the Midwest. She lived in Wichita, Minneapolis, and Chicago, then settled back East in Wynnewood, on Philadelphia’s Main Line. She graduated from Lower Merion High School, then attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. 

After college, Barbara worked for seven years for Towers Perrin, Forster & Crosby in Philadelphia. In 1959, she married Charles Soltis, and their only child, Kristin, was born in 1964.

In the 1970s Barbara served for years as a volunteer tour guide at Historic Yellow Springs, in Yellow Springs, Pa. In the 1980s she joined the Swedish Colonial Society in Philadelphia, and subsequently served as an officer and a councilor. 

From 1990 to 2000, Barbara worked for Chalfant Antiques in Westchester, Pa., where she greatly broadened her knowledge of American furniture and decorative arts. She immensely enjoyed this opportunity, and especially loved doing several shows a year. 

In 2000, Barbara moved from the Main Line to Martha’s Vineyard to be near her daughter. She worked for Vineyard Golf Club for 10 years as director of member services, where she served the members with the utmost dedication. She retired at the age of 76. 

Barbara had a strong faith, and was a long-term congregant of the Federated Church in Edgartown. She sang soprano in the church choir for 20 years, and served on the search committee for a new pastor. Her choir friends were indeed part of her family. Barbara was also a supporter of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. She served on the special events committee for 17 years, and was dogged in her pursuit of items for the annual silent auction. Beyond her work with the special events committee, she was an ambassador for the museum’s mission, and for the move from Edgartown to Vineyard Haven, recognizing the need for a larger campus that would allow for better care of the collection. 

Two of Barbara’s true passions in life were history and the arts. She greatly appreciated classical music, antiques, fine arts, and decorative arts, and had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Barbara did extensive, original research on two 18th century Philadelphia silversmiths, father John Bayly and son John Bayly Jr. She became an expert on these artists, and advised museum curators at many institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Art Museum, the Clark Art Institute, Wadsworth Atheneum, Winterthur Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. 

Barbara also had a passion for travel. She and Kristin enjoyed many trips to Europe together over the past 40 years. She had boundless energy for touring, right up into her 86th year. She was constantly expanding her vast knowledge of culture, history, the arts, and the natural world. Barbara always marveled at and appreciated the creation of beauty, both human and natural. She was a true student of the universe, and she will be greatly missed by all those she touched along the way.

Barbara is survived by her brother Richard Almquist, her sister-in-law Loretta Almquist, her nephew Richard Almquist Jr., her cousins Wendy Adams, Dennis Adams, and Sandra Urgo, and her daughter Kristin Warriner. 

A memorial service will be held at the Federated Church in Edgartown at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Federated Church, Martha’s Vineyard Museum, or Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard.

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Our beautiful Jasmine passed away suddenly on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. She was just a month shy of her 30th birthday.

Jasmine Leigh Reed was born in Buffalo, N.Y. She was brought to Martha’s Vineyard along with her brother Phil by their grandfather (Papa), Robert Reed Jr., and grandmother, Diane Reed, to live and grow into the wonderful and beautiful woman we knew and loved dearly. Though she had moved away for a year or two throughout her life, the Island was always her home.

As a child, she loved to spend time with her Mimi and have sleepovers with her cousins. She always had a smile on her face, whether it was riding for what would feel like an eternity while crammed in an old station wagon to Vermont to see family and friends up on Pudding Hill, or just going to the beach or for ice cream. One of our favorite things about Jasmine was how easy it was to make her laugh. You’d simply have to look at her for a moment and she would fall over in a fit of laughter. Her laughter and humor were infectious; it was impossible to be in her presence with her laughing and not want to join in.

Jasmine held many different jobs in her adult life. Her first official job was at Stop & Shop, where she worked for a number of years. She made friendships and connections with her customers, who loved her pleasant demeanor. She also became a CNA through the program at Windemere. She really loved working with the elderly patients there, so much so that she started doing private care for a more personal, one-to-one connection. She took a break from it to try her hand in the hospitality industry at the Island Inn. She worked herself up from being a front desk clerk to a manager. No matter what the job was or where it was, she could be counted on to have a smile on her face and spread happiness to the people she would interact with.

She also loved to travel, whether it was trips to Florida with her family as a kid to cruises to Punta Cana as an adult with her friend. She was always ready and itching to travel and see more. She was amazed and excited when she had been able to go parasailing, something she described as thrilling and scary at the same time.

She was just so extra and special, and quite amazing. In such a short period of time, she was able to make a lifetime’s worth of memories. We are so very heartbroken by this loss, but know she will live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew and loved her. This is not goodbye, but rather until next time. Rest in Paradise, Jazzy.

Jasmine is survived by her grandfather, Robert Reed Jr.; her brother Phil and his wife Shelly Reed; her aunt Sherri and her husband Chris Bradshaw; Sara and her husband Chris Guice; her aunt Shannon Reed; her uncle Shawn Reed and his wife Isabella; her uncle Robert Reed III, and mother Yvonne Codner; four nephews, many other aunts and uncles, and many cousins and friends; and by her boyfriend Steven Leon. Jasmine was predeceased by her grandmother Diane Reed, her Mimi, Carol Berryman, her cousin Brandy Gibson, and her best friend Issabel Walker.

A burial service is planned for ‪July 11 at 11 am in Oak Grove Cemetery (Vineyard Haven cemetery). There will be a celebration of life sometime in the fall, when we can have a gathering. We ask that everyone who plans on coming to her burial service practice social distancing, and bring and wear a face mask.

All donations made will go to her brother Philip, who is in charge of making the funeral arrangements. After the funeral and service expenses have been paid, any money left over will be donated to a charity she held very close to her heart, the National Blood Clot Alliance. Philip Reed, P.O. Box 839, Edgartown, MA 02539.

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

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Aaron James Tripp, recently of Falmouth and previously of Martha’s Vineyard, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

A graveside service for the burial of his remains will be held on Saturday, July 11, at 11 am in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Pacific Avenue, in Oak Bluffs. Please share a memory or a story during this time; a celebration of his life will be held at a later date, and a complete obituary will appear at that time. 

Donations in Aaron’s memory may be made to Felix Neck, Mass Audubon, P.O. Box 494, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or at massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/felix-neck. 

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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