Thirza Jane Farrow died on Sept. 8 in Venice, Fla., vibrant and engaged in life to the end. She was 91.

A Vineyard resident for many years, Jane and her husband Ted Farrow owned Tashtego in Edgartown, a modern design and gift store fondly remembered by many as a treasure trove of gifts, kitchen supplies, antiques and more. Through Tashtego, Jane and Ted also offered interior design and architectural services and their work beautified countless homes around the Island.

She will be greatly missed by her family and her many friends on the Vineyard and in Boca Grande and Venice, Fla.

Jane was born in Baltimore, Md., the eldest child of Dr. Harry D. Wilson and Thirza N. Wilson. After attending Goucher College, Jane asserted her independence by moving alone to New York city and joining the staff of Life Magazine. It was there that she met her first husband Bill Damroth. She introduced him to the Vineyard which she had loved for years from summer visits during her childhood. As their family grew to include three sons, Jane migrated the clan from New York every summer to Sunnyside Farm on the Tisbury Great Pond, owned by Millie and Phil Spalding. In the mid-1960s Bill and Jane built a home at Abel’s Hill in Chilmark. When their marriage ended, Jane moved permanently to Abel’s Hill with her sons Peter, David and John.

Shortly afterward, she reconnected with Ted Farrow, a Vineyard friend from childhood, and they partnered in opening Tashtego. They quickly recognized each other as kindred spirits interested in the arts and travel and as romantic partners. In 1974, they wed and began a life filled with love, laughter, friends, work and travel. They particularly loved spending time each winter collecting pottery, art and artifacts in towns and villages across Europe and South America, some to sell in Tashtego and some to display in their Abel’s Hill home.

Jane had an artist’s eye that she expressed both at home and in Tashtego, creating an environment full of color, cultures and contrast. For decades, she enlivened downtown Edgartown with stunningly creative window displays and worked with Ted to design graphically striking Tashtego posters that reflected their shared love of the Island. After her move to Boca Grande, Fla. in 2000, Jane kept the Vineyard in her heart, visiting often and maintaining close relationships with those she loved. This was a large contingent of people since Jane made and kept friends of all ages who all benefitted from her warmth, humor, thoughtful advice and generosity.

She had a big smile, a kind heart and a gracious spirit. She also had an adventurous streak. In her teens, on a Colorado camping trip, she shot a rattlesnake that was threatening her horse. In her twenties, she defied her father to move alone to New York city to start a career. In her forties, she and Ted survived a serious earthquake in Guatemala, spending days sleeping on the ground outside of unsafe buildings until they could leave. She also paddled a canoe to Nomans Land (and back!) with Ted. Both enjoyed simple beauty and shared a love of walking Island beaches and picking up shells and stones. Jane combined this love for natural beauty with an entrepreneurial spirit. A lifelong collector of beautiful stones and shells, early on she taught her sons to notice the beauty of nature and to develop the skill of close observation. When they were young, she often set them to collecting beach glass and beach stones which she polished and set into bracelets. On many occasions, her sons came home to find a cookie sheet of linked-stone bracelets resting in a warm oven to set the glue. She sold her beach stone jewelry at the farm of Millie and Harold Lewis on Old County Road in West Tisbury, using the honor system and a coffee can.

In Florida, she continued crafting unusual items out of shells which were wildly popular in local gift stores.

Jane will be deeply missed by her children and their partners: Peter and Amelia Damroth of Raleigh, N.C., David Damroth and Barbara Lee of Chilmark and Cambridge, and John Damroth and Trisha O’Connell of Chilmark and Watertown; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Jessie Damroth and her children Logan and Ayden Nairn of West Tisbury, Timothy Damroth of San Francisco, Amos Damroth of Brooklyn N.Y. and Aaron Damroth of Sarasota, Fla.; and her two brothers Dr. Harry Wilson and Dr. Thomas Wilson. In addition, for decades at Tashtego, Jane hired, trained and served as surrogate mother to a host of summer and year-round staff. Of these, Blue Cullen and Nancy Rogers became true daughters and share this loss with her family. When Jane lost Ted, she was greatly tested. She persevered with strength and grace through that loss and into a new life, continuing to travel and make new friends. She missed him every day but was thankful for her life and the love they shared.

Her appreciation for the natural world never flagged. Her world view is captured in a wood carving of a scallop shell created by a close friend that she held dear, inscribed with a quote from a poem by Emma Mayhew Whiting: “Who am I that I should have the earth and sky?”

There will be a service in Chilmark next spring.

Margaret Ella Lee (Maggie) Bernard of Oak Bluffs, died Oct. 5 at Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was 83.

Margaret Ella Lee Bernard was born April 1, 1934 to Rose Ferriera Goodick of Tisbury, and Robert Goodick of Nova Scotia.

She was a kind and gentle person who was extremely private. She had a deep love for God and loved to spend time enjoying nature, walking, and was an avid photographer. She was a model in the 1950s and specialized in black and white photography, as well as color slides and still life photography. She loved to spend time in her home and yard and was a perfectionist in everything she did.

In her early seventies she suffered numerous strokes and became a resident at Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation. She never lost her kindness, gentleness, class or her integrity. She always gave her most beautiful smile to everyone at Windemere, regardless of what she was going through. She was always a true lady and a woman of incredible strength. She was a true gem and will be missed by all her family and those who knew her.

She was the beloved wife of Edmund Joseph Bernard, who predeceased her in August 2015. She is survived by her son Edmund Robert Goodick Bernard, Jr., her daughter Jennifer Bernard both of Oak Bluffs, and brother John Leite, Walter Marshall, Stevie Marshall and Dennis Marshall.

A private service will be held for family in the spring 2018.

Donations in memory of Maggie can be made to Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation, PO Box 1747, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.

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

Brenda Sue Mullins died peacefully at home on Oct. 2, surrounded by loved ones.

She left all who knew her with warm, lifetime memories of her humor, wit and unique southern insight.

Brenda was born on July 31, 1955, in Clintwood Va., to Mary Helen Fuller and Hilliard Harold Fuller. She graduated from Thomas Edison High School in Alexandria, Va., in 1972.

She loved telling the story of her earliest memory of how her father Harold said: “I fell in love with you and then I fell in love with your mother.” In fact, the entire Fuller family — all 10 of Harold’s siblings and parents — also fell in love with Brenda. Harold’s family was descended from the first settlers in the area that later became Dickenson County in the western reaches of the Virginia Appalachian Mountains. Farming, gathering wild plants, hunting wild game, logging and later coal mining provided a living. When he was old enough, Harold followed his father into the coal mines. So Brenda started life as an Appalachian and a coal miner’s daughter.

When she was seven, Helen and Harold took her and her brother Dennis to the Washington, D.C. area to make a better living for their family. Harold eventually joined the ironworkers union and worked on commercial construction projects, including some of the iconic buildings around the Capitol Beltway such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the renovation of the Old Post Office Pavilion.

Brenda learned nurturing skills at an early age, taking care of her two younger brothers. She eventually matured into an open, accepting and unpretentious adult, encouraging everyone she met to be themselves. She found something special in everyone she met and her positive spirit, sparkle and ability to find humor in every situation endeared her to friends.

She arrived on Martha’s Vineyard in 1984 with her husband John Gibson, their son John, and joined her stepson Jim. With her infectious laughter, mischievous smile and a twinkle in her eye she was quickly accepted into John’s large loving family. Kindness, generosity and upbeat personality were her hallmarks. She worked at several jobs on the Island including Martha’s Vineyard Airport, Powers Electric, MV Electric and most recently the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

She spent many years volunteering on the Island, mostly at the PA club, where she served on the benevolent committee and loved playing Mrs. Claus every year at the annual Christmas party. She enjoyed all her jobs and never forgot a name or a person’s life story.

Her final gift to all who knew her was her acceptance, grace and courage in the last few months. She demonstrated how to turn a tragedy into an inspirational journey of love, and laughter, and never lost her sense of humor or joy of living.

She is survived by her brothers Dennis W. Fuller and his significant other Amy of Woodbridge, Va., and Sam H Fuller; her daughter Stacey Hibbitt; her son John Gibson and Talia Rogers; grandchildren Eagan Gibson and Isaiah Geddis of Oak Bluffs, Brandon Clay, Nikia and Victoria Johnson of Harper’s Ferry, W.V., Kylie Gibson and her mom Ashley Hersman, of West Palm Beach, Fla.; stepson James Gibson and Brie Gibson and their children, Addison and Reese, of Sarasota Fla., and surrogate children Elyse and Ben Madeiras and Kristen MacLean all of Oak Bluffs; her niece Elaine and nephews Sean and Justin of Glade Spring, Va.

Brenda also leaves a team of angels who came one day a week for the past few months: Donna Montesion, Diane Welch, Jenny Pye, Karen Jardin, Elyse Madeiras, and Tricia Bergeron as well as many extended family, friends and the hospice team of Betsy Marshall and Rabbi Lori who surrounded her with love and comfort throughout her illness. In her usual unique way of looking at life, Brenda had her own going away party in August, and therefore there will not be any services.

At her request, donations in her memory can be made to St Jude’s Hospital, the benevolent committee of thePortuguese American Club, or a charity of choice.

Brenda was sure that Bruno Mars would also be left with a broken heart and asked all to reach out to comfort him.

Hazel Luke McCormack died on June 24 at the Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, due to complications from a stroke. She was 93.

She was born on Dec. 29, 1923, in Douglas, Ga., to Oscar L. Luke Sr. and Odessa Tanner Luke. As the middle child, Hazel grew up on a large agricultural farm in Lax, Ga., with her two brothers, Aubrey L. Luke and Oscar L. Luke Jr. She spent much of her childhood working on the farm (picking cotton, feeding pigs and chickens), attending church, singing gospels and excelling at elementary and high school. As a young girl, her favorite pet was a pig named Charlotte that walked her to the school bus stop every morning and was there waiting for her when she got off of the bus every afternoon.

Hazel graduated at the top of her class from Coffee County High School in 1941 and earned an associate’s degree in business management in 1943 from South Georgia State College in Douglas, Ga. At college, she met and married U.S. Air Force First Lieut. Lemuel (Lee) H. McCormack in 1942, who was stationed as a pilot training instructor at the Douglas Army Airfield. During their 15 years of marriage, Hazel and Lemuel weathered Word War II and were fortunate to travel the world including countries like South Africa, Egypt, Italy, France, Australia, and West Germany.

After her divorce in 1956, Hazel moved to Baxley, Ga., where she successfully raised her daughter, Mary Jo, and youngest son, David, as a single parent. A woman successfully raising two children as a single parent in the 1950s was an accomplishment, especially in a small southern town like Baxley. In 1979, she moved to Martha’s Vineyard to be near her oldest son Lee and his family. Hazel was quickly adopted by the Island’s residents as their “Georgia peach” due to her southern accent, grace, vivacious personality and witty charm. She lived for 28 years at Havenside in Vineyard Haven, and was the longest-residing person there. Her favorite past time was beachcombing, where she would gather sea-washed stones and driftwood to decorate her garden. She happily lived her remaining years on the Island that she had grown to dearly love.

She worked as a business and office manager for private businesses, hospitals and visiting nurse organizations for over 35 years where she helped the business concerns flourish and prosper. It was a well-known fact that Hazel could “pinch a penny and make it squeal.” She was an expert seamstress, an avid golfer, liked to play bridge and loved gardening. Truly gifted with a green thumb, she was lauded by family, friends, neighbors and passersby for her beautiful floral gardens both in Georgia and on the Vineyard. She was truly selfless, always doing anything she could for others.

She stood just shy of five feet tall and was fond of saying,“I may be small, but I’m mighty!” Her favorite gospel song was Amazing Grace.

She was passionate and proud of her family.

She is survived by her children Lee H. McCormack, Mary Jo McCormack, and David L. McCormack and his wife Robin); grandchildren Devin McCormack, Meghan McCormack, Will L. Williams and his wife Katie, and Harrison L. Williams; great-grandchildren Raven McCormack, Isabella McCormack and Olivia McCormack; niece Karen (Luke) Jackson; and nephews Royal Luke, Dewayne Luke and Donnie Luke.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven, officiated by the Rev. Dr. Leo Christian.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.

Visit www.ccgfuneralhome.com for online guest book and to share memories, stories and pictures.

Judith Ann Nichols of Vineyard Haven died on Sunday, Oct. 15 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She was 78.

Judy was married to Stephen F. Nichols.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 2:15 p.m. at the Oak Grove Cemetery on State Road in Vineyard Haven.

Donations may be made in her memory to St. Jude’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or stjude.org.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, ccgfuneralhome.com.

Julianna and Laine Scott of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Deirdre Harding Scott, born Oct. 4 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

Edgartown’s new dredge has arrived and is ready for action, dredge committee members told the town selectmen Monday. The $600,000 piece of equipment will be put to work this winter.

Red Stocking applications are now available at locations around the Island.

Dr. James Albert Riley of Edgartown died at home on Oct. 4, three weeks short of his 91st birthday.

He was born in Hilton Village, Va. to Charles B. Riley and Caroline Lamberth. Raised on a farm in Hampton Roads, Va., he graduated from Hampton High School. Summer employment as an electrician at Newport News Shipyard inspired an interest in physics, which became his course of study at The College of William and Mary. For a brief period between high school and college, he enlisted in the Army Air Force hoping to learn to fly. He earned the World War II Victory Medal and was honorably discharged in 1945.

Plans for a trek up the Amazon River with his older brother prompted research into tropical diseases. This adventure did not materialize, but led to matriculation at Yale University School of Medicine. He researched and developed techniques for welding thermocouples for physiological research in the section of neuroanatomy.

He graduated from Yale School of Medicine in 1951. The day of his graduation he married Janet Pauline Matz, a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. Days later he joined the Navy as a lieutenant junior grade. The newlyweds packed the car and set off on a honeymoon/cross country trip to San Diego, Calif., where he completed an internship specializing in surgery at the U.S. Naval Hospital. Upon discharge from the Navy, his interests switched to internal medicine, leading to University Hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C., where he was chief resident. Appointment as a resident in internal medicine at The Boston City Hospital followed.

In 1956 he went into private practice in New Haven, Conn. Beloved by his patients, family outings were frequently side tracked by house calls.

His interests were wide. He cultivated orchids and ferns; painted in oil, winning awards for his seascapes in local arts shows; collected and refinished antique furniture; and studied geology, collecting rocks and fossils. He applied mechanical aptitude to these passions, building a rock cutting saw, crafting fine wood furniture by hand, and designing scientific equipment to support his wife’s study of marine biology.

He loved animals, feeding a menagerie of animals like raccoons, deer, opossum and turkeys at his back door in Woodbridge, Conn. and later, at his Edgartown home, an abundance of ducks, pigeons and squirrels. He was extremely attached to his beloved cats Nubby, Jeep, and Mr. Jefferson and a springer spaniel, Zeus, with whom he shared his nightly bowl of ice cream.

Retiring to Edgartown in 2008, he was often seen fly fishing at the crack of dawn on the jetty at the Big Bridge on Sengekontacket Pond. He gave the flies he tied to friends and acquaintances. His love of fishing endures today in his daughter and grandsons.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Janet M. Riley of Edgartown; brother and sister in law Douglas and Sharon Riley of Durham, N.C.; sister in law Martha Riley of California; daughter and son in law Carol and Michael Berwind of Edgartown; son James of Arlington; grandson Dickens Berwind and his wife Anele of Harvard, and grandson David Berwind, his wife Courtney, and great-granddaughter Charlotte of Duxbury.

Boat line governors voted Tuesday to limit the size of trucks on the 5:30 a.m. freight run to the Vineyard to less than 40 feet in the summer months.

An Edgartown man is being held on $100,000 bail following a Monday arrest for allegedly trafficking in fentanyl, a deadly narcotic that is used as a substitute for heroin. Alex Carlson faces arraignment Friday in Edgartown district court.

Tisbury selectmen this week said they would pursue zoning regulations to keep gun stores and retail marijuana sales out of the downtown area.