Obituaries & Death Notices

Mr. Peanut is dead at the age of 104, Planters announced Wednesday."It is with heavy hearts that we confirm that Mr. Peanut has died at 104," the company said. "In the ultimate selfless act, he sacrificed himself to save his friends when they needed him most. Please pay your respects with #RIPeanut."The company released a video that appears to be a teaser for a 2020 Super Bowl commercial showing Mr. Peanut driving the NUTmobile to the upcoming NFL championship game…

Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 11:59am James L. Novack of West Tisbury died Jan. 15 following a long illness. He was 73. Jim was born in Greenwich, Conn., to Solomon and Sylvia Cornwell Novack in September 1946. He attended school in Portchester, N.Y. He graduated from Ithaca College. He married Leah A. Houghton on July 16, 1988 in Ithaca, and worked as an audio-visual specialist for the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University for 28 years. Following a move to…

Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 11:57am Florencio John (Sonny) Mendez of Woodside Village in Oak Bluffs died on Jan. 17 at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was 78. Visitation in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs will be held on Friday, Jan. 24 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., followed by a funeral service officiated by the Rev. Michael Nagle at 11:30 a.m. Interment will follow in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven with military honors provided by the…

Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 11:55am Beth Ann Saint-Amour died Jan. 5 at Massachusetts General Hospital. The cause was respiratory failure brought on by cancer that she had courageously fought since 2017. She was the wife of Jay Wilbur and a loving and generous presence for all who knew her. One of five children, she was born on April 29, 1959 outside Cleveland, Ohio to Katheryne V. Saint-Amour and John D. Saint-Amour. Her family moved to Massachusetts in 1971, and…

Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 11:54am Timothy Conrad Aureden died peacefully on Jan. 17 in Oak Bluffs, surrounded by Diane, his wife of 45 years, four of his six surviving children and two of his 15 grandchildren. Born in Cleveland, he was raised in Rocky River, Ohio, and attended St. Edwards 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. He spent his professional…

Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 11:51am Harriette Evans died on Jan. 13. She was 97 and had been a longtime summer resident of Oak Bluffs. She was born on March 23, 1922, along with a twin brother, Harold, in Akron Ohio to Sally Fisher and Harold Clark. She married the love of her life, the Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Evans in October 1944. He predeceased her in April 2008. They were married for 64 years. Harriette attended Dunbar High School in Washington D.C. and went on to attend…

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, […] The post... ...

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... ...

LONDON — Terry Jones, a founding member of the anarchic Monty Python troupe who was hailed by a colleague as "the complete Renaissance comedian," has died after a battle with dementia.Jones's family said the 77-year-old died Tuesday evening at his home in London. In a statement, his family said he died "after a long, extremely brave but always good humored battle with a rare form of dementia, FTD."Jones's…

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,... ...

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... ...

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... ...

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... ...

Paul KarasikMy friend, Nelson Bryant, died last week. He was 96.

ARNOLD, Mo. — A couple who had been together for nearly 65 years have died on the same day at a St. Louis-area nursing home.Jack and Harriet Morrison's beds were placed next to each other in their final hours, allowing them to hold hands, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.Eighty-six-year-old Jack died first. Harriett, who was 83, died later on Jan. 11."I'm sad. But I know they're at peace and they're…

Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 12:00pm Alexandra Henley Turner died peacefully at her Katama home on Saturday, Jan. 11, with her loving son Stephen at her side. Born in 1927 in Orange, New Jersey, 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 retirement from…

Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 11:59am David Blake Meek died Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. He was born Oct. 2, 1956 in Syracuse, N.Y., while his father, John, was in a graduate journalism program. His parents then moved the family to Oklahoma, his father‘s birthplace, for his preschool years. In late 1960 the family moved to Washington, D.C., arriving in time for JFK‘s inauguration and living in the shadow of the capital during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. David…

Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 11:57am Charles (Chappy) Chapman of East Burke, Vt., died suddenly on Sunday, May 26, 2019. He was 75. He was born on Feb. 7, 1944 in Chatham, N.Y. to the late 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…

WASHINGTON — The White House violated federal law in withholding security assistance to Ukraine, an action at the center of President Donald Trump's impeachment, a federal watchdog agency said Thursday.T he Government Accountability Office said in a report that the Office of Management and Budget violated the law in holding up the aid, which Congress passed less than a year ago, saying "the President is not vested with the power to ignore or amend any such duly…

Suzan BellincampiIn East of Eden, John Steinbeck describes flies as a “final and malicious burden” on the body of a character who had just died.

The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) was recently passed over for a construction grant for the fifth year in a row, and will reapply during the next grant cycle, in April. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) allows school districts across the commonwealth to apply for need-based grant... ...

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. The post Amy Lynne Combra appeared first on The Martha's Vineyard Times. ...

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... ...

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... ...

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,... ...

Taylor Hughes stole the ball twice in the final minute and passed to Kylie Estrella, who made a pair of clutch baskets as the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) girls basketball team rallied for a 34-31 win over the Cape Cod Academy Seahawks, Saturday afternoon in Osterville. For the second... ...

EASTHAM – A letter has been sent to all businesses in the Town of Eastham regarding two bylaw proposals the Select Board is drafting to reduce plastic waste. If passed, the bylaws would ban the sale and distribution of certain single-use plastic items within town boundaries. That includes straws, certain types of balloons, food... .

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... ...

Edward Spiegel, known for work on chaos theory, died Jan. 2.

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... ...

Julia Wells Nelson Bryant, a celebrated New York Times outdoor columnist and Army paratrooper who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day during World War II, died Saturday at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. He was 96.

EAST FALMOUTH — Serenity Farm is back open Saturday after it was determined that a horse died from equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, according to farm owner Anne Jennings.The farm, located at 365 Old Barnstable Road, was closed as a precaution after a 12-year-old Tennessee walking horse named Johnny had to be euthanized.By Friday evening it was confirmed that Johnny had EPM, which is a serious but noncontagious disease that affects the central nervous system.A…

BREWSTER — In 2019, the dust seemed to have settled around the issue of whether Brewster would allow a recreational marijuana business in town.The town voted on proposed regulations at several town meetings, shooting down moratoriums and outright prohibitions of recreational stores and passing zoning rules. A general bylaw that sought to supersede the zoning regulations was also passed, but it was eventually rejected by the state attorney general’s…

We’ve decided to make “The lives they led” an annual celebration of the lives of Islanders who died during the year. We have included those who lived for at least some time on Martha’s Vineyard, or spent a significant amount of time visiting, and for whom information about their life here was available in their... ...

  BREWSTER – Officials in Brewster are reviewing options on how to proceed with a potential new community center and the possible consolidation of schools. This comes after $235,000 was allocated to conduct feasibility studies during November’s town meeting. A nonbinding proposal was also passed at the same... .

Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 11:46am Maria A. (deBettencourt) Bettencourt died Jan. 5. Born in Oak Bluffs on June 28, 1948 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, she was the daughter of Antone J. deBettencourt and Gloria (Coutinho) deBettencourt. Maria graduated from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in 1966, continuing on to the Cape Cod School of Practical Nursing. After graduating in 1968, she began work at the Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester and then…

Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 11:45am Priscilla Sinatra of Millis and Martha’s Vineyard died Dec. 6. She worked at St. Thomas Church in Millis as a religions education coordinator and a counselor for AFI for exchange students. Formerly of Jamaica Plain, she was the loving wife of Charles Sinatra, mother of Juliana and Suzanne Sinatra and sister of Barbara Nolan and the late James Nolan. Funeral services were held Dec. 13 in Millis. Interment was at the Prospect Hill…

Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 11:43am Susan H. Bettencourt died at home in Edgartown on Monday, Jan. 6. She was 67. Susan was an extremely smart and caring person, and for anyone who had the opportunity to visit the emergency room at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, there was a good chance they had met Sue B. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by many. She was born in Dorchester on June 7, 1952, to Phil and Claire (Trainor) Hagen. She was a graduate of Ursuline…

Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 11:42am Beth Ann Saint-Amour of Vineyard Haven died Sunday, Jan. 5 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She was the wife of John M. (Jay) Wilbur 3rd. Services will be held at a later date and a full obituary will appear in a future edition. For online guestbook and information please visit www.ccgfuneralhome.com. Article Updated: Date Updated: Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 11:42am

Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 11:36am William Langdon Skinner of West Tisbury, formerly of Muncie, Ind., died on Martha’s Vineyard on Dec. 18, 2019. Bill was born in Oneida, N.Y., raised in Port Credit Ontario, Canada, and earned a civil engineering degree and all-American honors as a gymnast at the University of Michigan. He and Julie, his wife of 57 years, moved to Muncie in 1964 where they made a lasting impact on the people and community surrounding them. Bill took…

Polls have consistently shown a vast majority (90%) of Americans believe strong background checks to be an integral component to addressing our nation’s gun violence problem. To that end, on Feb. 27, 2019, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8-116, the Bi-Partisan Background Checks Act of 2019. Following mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, President Trump himself spoke of a “great appetite” for stronger background checks and…

The whirlwind of misleading or fabricated reports tied to Iran's retaliatory attack in Iraq on Tuesday night illustrates the depths and dangers of the nation's misinformation crisis.Fueled by social media, the false reports generated fears of a wider outbreak of war when international tensions were already high and Americans on edge.Among the false reports was one widely circulated tweet that 20 American troops died and the nation was on the "precipice of another [...]

The whirlwind of misleading or fabricated reports tied to Iran's retaliatory attack in Iraq on Tuesday night illustrates the depths and dangers of the nation's misinformation crisis.Fueled by social media, the false reports generated fears of a wider outbreak of war when international tensions were already high and Americans on edge.Among the false reports was one widely circulated tweet that 20 American troops died and the nation was on the "precipice of another [...]

BOSTON (AP) – State public health officials say a fourth Massachusetts resident has died from a vaping-related lung illness. The state Public Health Department announced Wednesday that the patient, a man in his 70s from Middlesex County, reported vaping products containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.... .

A fourth person has died of a vaping-associated lung injury, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced today.The patient, a man in his 70s from Middlesex County, reported vaping tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient found in marijuana. The case is among the 36 confirmed cases of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) that DPH has reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since Sept. 11, when the state began…

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... ...

Doris Isabel Williams, age 99, passed away on Dec. 21, 2019.  She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 4, 1920. When she was very young, the family moved to Neptune, N.J., where she spent all of her formative years. Doris attended secretarial school in New York, and in November 1943 married her husband of... ...

Susan H. Bettencourt, wife, mother, grandmother, and nurse, died at her home in Edgartown on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, at the age of 67. Susan was an extremely smart and caring person, and if you’ve had the opportunity to visit the emergency room at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, the chances are you’ve met... ...

Maria Alexandrina (deBettencourt) Bettencourt passed away on Jan. 5, 2020. Born in Oak Bluffs on June 28, 1948, in the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, she was the daughter of Antone J. deBettencourt and Gloria (Coutinho) deBettencourt (both born on the Island). Maria graduated from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High... ...

Beth Ann Saint-Amour of Vineyard Haven passed away Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was the wife of John M. (“Jay”) Wilbur III for 18 years. Services will be held at a later date, and a full obituary will appear in another edition of this paper. For online guestbook and information, please... ...