Noel Orcutt of Edgartown died at his home on Dec. 10, 2021. He was 92.
He was born on Dec. 21, 1928, at Fort Bragg, N.C., the youngest child of John Orcutt, a career Army officer and Irene Orcutt, a registered nurse. Noel, along with his older brother, John, and
sister, Mazelle, grew up on Army bases around the country, where his father’s career took them. In 1941, Noel’s family was living at Schofield Army Barracks in Hawaii, and lived through the Pearl Harbor attack, which began America’s entry into the Second World War. In later years, his mother would tell the story of during the attack, trying to stop 12-year-old Noel from running through the yard to pick up the spent brass shell casings from the attacking Japanese fighter planes.
Noel was a graduate of the Moses Brown School, and American International College. During his school years and during his military service, he was a standout athlete in swimming and in baseball. During his service in the Air Force, he was a member of the Air Force All-Star
Baseball Team.
In 1950 he met Bernice Wells, a nursing student, while Noel worked in the family lumber business in New Bedford. They married in 1951, and shortly after moved to Bernice’s hometown of Edgartown, where they raised four children over the next 50 years together. Noel’s work ethic and dedication were second to none. He was an accomplished carpenter, and took great pride in finish cabinetry. He worked at Burnham and Magnuson, Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, and the
Vineyard Haven Post Office. For several years he was the director of the Youth Center, and he was a member of the St. Andrew’s Church vestry.
Noel took special pride in his role as a father and grandfather. Whether it was taking the family to swim at Bend in the Road Beach, games of catch in the backyard, or attending the school athletic events of his children, his greatest joy was the time he spent with family. Visiting Grandpa was a highlight of every summer for his grandchildren. Seafood dinners, dessert at the Dairy Queen, and watching the Red Sox each night were traditions that were cherished.
Noel was predeceased by his son Stephen and his wife Bernice. He is survived by his sons Gregory and his wife Mary of West Tisbury, Andrew of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and Peter and his wife Mary of Beaverton, Ore. He leaves four grandchildren, Meaghan, Elizabeth, Matthew,
and Hannah, along with six great-grandchildren.
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