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Stephen Currier Gentle, 89
Was Avid Flyer, Community Leader
Stephen Currier Gentle was born in Houlton, Me., on July 23, 1912 to Edwin B. and Pearle Foss Gentle, and died on Oct. 25, 2001. He came to Martha's Vineyard in 1920 and attended the Island schools. He loved to fish and hunt and had a wonderful Vineyard childhood.
In 1939 at the age of 27, Steve, along with his friends Everett Whiting, Joe Mello and Preston Averill, started a flying club. With the assistance of an instructor from the Cape, they all learned to fly in their Piper Cub. Soon the war shut down all private flying, so Steve enlisted and became a flight instructor for the war training service. He later supervised the program at several airports and returned to Edgartown when these programs ended in 1944.
Once back on the Vineyard, he set about acquiring the grass airfield at Katama and all the land from the creek to the beach - some 130 acres in all. The hurricane of 1944 destroyed the original tin hanger and spread debris over the Great Plains. Mr. Gentle set out to level the runways and rebuild the hangar. He accomplished this with hand tools and the generous advice and energy of good friends who came each time a heavy beam needed to be raised.
Mr. Gentle never lost his love of flying and teaching others to fly, and he retained all that knowledge until the end of his life.
In the 1960s, Mr. Gentle and his wife, Dorothy, established Gentle's Realty Company, now owned by their son, Stephen E. Gentle. He was a member of the Edgartown Methodist Church, the Martha's Vineyard Rod and Gun Club, a trustee of the Dukes County Savings Bank, a member of the Republican Town Committee, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Katama Association, the Deputy Sheriff's Organization and the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla., to name a few.
Mr. Gentle had a full and productive life and left a wonderful legacy to his family. His family includes Dorothy, his wife of 68 years; his son and daughter, Stephen E. Gentle and Jane West; his brother, Edwin Gentle; four grandchildren, Michael and Timothy Creato and Robert and Stephen Gentle, and four great-grandchildren, Zachary Gentle, Samantha and Maxwell Gentle and Eva Balboni. Several nieces and nephews also survive him.
A celebration of his life was held at the Katama Airfield on Saturday, Nov. 24. It was a memorable occasion for his many friends and family. His ashes were scattered over a few of his favorite Vineyard hunting and fishing spots, and at Katama Airfield, the place he loved best.
A new hangar is in the works to replace the old one at Katama Airport. Anyone wishing to make a donation in Mr. Gentle's memory is invited to contribute to the fund in care of the Katama Airfield Trust, P.O. Box 2908, Edgartown, MA 02539.
Dr. Frank Mansure, 72
Treasured Island Home
Dr. Frank T. Mansure, 72, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., died Sunday, May 12, at the Health Center in Beaumont at Bryn Mawr.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of Henry W. and Florence T. Mansure. A veteran of the Pacific Theatre in World War II, he was graduated from Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He was for many years the medical director of Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company, and after retiring continued as a consulting medical director for Guardian Life in Bethlehem, Pa.
Mr. Mansure was a regular visitor to Martha's Vineyard, beginning with his honeymoon in 1949. He treasured his house on Lagoon Pond in Oak Bluffs and established many lifetime friendships there.
Surviving are his son and daughter in law, John F. and Ruth S. Mansure of Greenville, S.C.; his daughter, Elizabeth A. Mansure of Oak Bluffs, and his grandchildren, Kathryn G. (Katie) Mansure, John F. (Jack) Mansure Jr. and Frank Hayden Mansure, all of Greenville. His wife, Pamela F. Mansure, predeceased him.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society, P.O. Box 1310, Edgartown, MA 02539.
Mildred E. Hope, 86
Had Kind Words for All
Mildred E. "Millie" Hope, 86, of Vineyard Haven, died on Thursday, May 16, at the Windemere Nursing Home, where she had lived for the past eight years.
She was born to Albert and Sophia Topham on Sept. 28, 1915, in Natick. She lived there until August 1945, when she came to the Island with her first husband, Carol Drew (who died in 1966), and two sons, Edwin and Linden.
For almost 25 years, Millie was a well-known and much-loved employee of the Holmes Hole Store on Main street in Vineyard Haven. She was a gracious lady with a big smile and a kind word for everyone she met.
Millie re-married
on February 14, 1970, to the late, Clinton "Curly" Hope of Vineyard Haven, with whom she shared her love of flowers. Together they spent many hours working in their yard and watching the many birds that came to nest there.
She is survived by her five stepchildren, Edwin Drew, Linden Drew and Marsha Merrill of Vineyard Haven, and Roy Hope and Robert Hope of Oak Bluffs; all of their respective spouses, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A graveside service was held on May 21 at the West Tisbury cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Marion Wright Phipps
Was Golfing Instructor
Marion Wright Phipps died Feb. 4 in Houston, Tex., where she lived with her daughter and son in law, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hammond.
Marion was a longtime summer resident of the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs. Her father, Arthur Wright, purchased a cottage in Trinity Park in 1920 and Marion never missed a summer through the war years and beyond. She was an avid golfer and regularly played at the Oak Bluffs Country Club. One of her fondest memories was of an all-day session at the club where, arriving at 6 a.m., she and her sister Eleanor and good friend Fay Irving (Squibb) played 60 consecutive holes, walking and carrying their golf bags, stopping only when darkness set in.
When her marriage to Ross E. Phipps ended in divorce, Marion became a golf pro at the Farms Country Club in Wallingford, Conn., where she delighted in helping women golfers perfect their swings.
She is survived by her sister, Eleanor Wright Shabica of Oak Bluffs and Destin, Fla.; a brother, Kenneth R.V. Wright of Atlanta; two daughters, Mrs. Richard Hammond of Houston, with whom she lived for many years, and Mrs. Bruce Teele of Boston, as well as eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Harold B. Whiteman, 82
Was Educator, Author
Dr. Harold Bartlett Whiteman Jr., 82, died May 6 at his home in Nashville, Tenn., after a lengthy illness.
Mr. Whiteman was born in Nashville on April 22, 1920, the son of Emma Anderson Whiteman and Harold Bartlett Whiteman. He attended Montgomery Bell Academy there, the Taft School in Watertown, Conn., and Yale College in New Haven, Conn., where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and captain of the 1940 varsity football team. He served in the military during World War II as a special services officer of the Air Transport Command in Africa. He received his M.A. in political science from Nashville's Vanderbilt University in 1950, and his Ph.D. in international relations from Yale University in 1958.
Mr. Whiteman was married
in July of 1946 to the former Edith Uhler Davis of Nashville. He served as a mathematics instructor at the Taft School from 1946 to 1947 and a teaching fellow at Vanderbilt from 1947 to 1948. He served Yale University as dean of the freshman year and associate dean from 1948 to 1964. He was named as assistant to the president of New York University in New York city in1964 and he served there until 1971 as vice chancellor for student affairs.
In 1971, Mr. Whiteman was named president of Sweet Briar College, a women's college in Amherst, Va., and served there until his retirement in 1983. He was the first and only male president to have served Sweet Briar. He then worked for Yale Divinity School as a development officer from 1983 to 1985 and again in development for Montgomery Bell Academy from 1985 to 1989.
Mr. Whiteman served on many committees and boards during his notable career, including the board of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges and the English Speaking Union in London, England. His publications included the followed works: Neutrality, 1941 (his senior thesis at Yale, selected for publication); Letters from the Paris Peace Conference, concerning the work of Charles Seymour, former Yale president, and Norman H. Davis and the Search for International Peace and Security, 1917 to 1944.
Outside of his academic achievements, Mr. Whiteman was an avid sailor and tennis player. Many days were spent sailing the waters of New England and Martha's Vineyard, where his family maintains a summer home in Vineyard Haven. He is survived by his wife, Edith Uhler Davis Whiteman; three children, Harold Bartlett Whiteman 3rd of Lookout Mountain, Ga., Maclin Davis Whiteman of Nashville and Priscilla Whiteman Kellert of New Haven; three grandchildren; three step-grandchildren, and one step-great-grandchild.
A memorial service was held at Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville on Thursday, May 9. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to charities of your own choosing.
John Ahern Jr., 69
Was High School Counselor
John J. (Jack) Ahern Jr., 69, of Yarmouthport died on Monday, May 13, at his home of pancreatic cancer. He was the husband of Susan Everett Ahern of Yarmouthport.
He was born and grew up in Woburn. He was graduated from St. John's Preparatory School. He attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and Boston College, where he completed his bachelor's degree in philosophy. He went on to Boston University and earned a master's degree in counseling.
Mr. Ahern was the first guidance counselor on the Vineyard, serving as director of guidance for the then-new Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. He embraced the treasures offered by the Island, from enjoying its tranquil beauty to playing timpani with the Vineyard Sinfonietta.
After leaving the Island, Mr. Ahern worked as a test consultant for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. He then relocated to Cape Cod, where he owned several businesses and was, most recently, the genial proprietor of the gift shop at the Red Jacket Beach Motel.
He was an avid yard-sale follower and, until his illness, was a guiding force for the Cape Cod Post-Polio support group.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Elinor Marie Ahern of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; two sons, Thomas Joseph Ahern of Boston and West Falmouth and John Joseph Ahern 3rd of Martha's Vineyard; a stepdaughter, Heather Sandahl of Walpole; a stepson, Robert MacIvor of Olmsted Township, Ohio; a sister, Ann Marie Hampton of South Dennis and Whitehall, N.Y.; a brother, David G. Ahern of South Dennis; eight grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
A service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, at the Doane, Beal & Ames Funeral Home, 729 Route 134, South Dennis, preceded by a visiting hour from 10 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Bumpy's Path, part of an outdoor education classroom for schoolchildren, c/o Castleton State College, Development Office, Castleton, VT 05735 or Hospice and Palliative Care of Cape Cod, 270 Communication Way, Hyannis, MA 02601 or a charity of one's choice. It was Jack's wish that in his memory, you go out of your way to do something nice for someone else today.
Joanne Carriera, 44
Was Researcher and Author
Joanne Carriera, 44, died Saturday, April 13, 2002, at her home in Loveland, Colo.
She was a native of Stamford, Conn., and had lived in Darien, Conn., for many years and made her home in Loveland for the past seven years. Her family had a summer home at West Chop for many years.
She was a graduate of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., receiving her degree in English. She had worked for 10 years at Ferguson Library in Stamford and did legal research for Cummings and Lockwood, also in Stamford. She was currently employed as an author for Allpine Publishing. She authored Shetland Sheep Dogs at Work, for which she received a Certificate of Nomination from the Dog Writers Association of America.
Joanne was preceded in death by a brother, Staff Sgt. Paul G. Carriera, USMC. She was a member of St. John's Catholic Church, Loveland.
Survivors include her parents, Gerard James and Frances Mary Casey Carriera of Bristol, Tenn.; a brother, Gerard J. Carriera Jr. of Wallingford, Conn.; and an aunt, Barbara Peck of Sayreville, N.J.
The funeral mass was conducted at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at St. Anne's Catholic Church with Father Tim Keeney and Deacon Harry Hall officiating. The committal service and interment were in New Calvary cemetery, Sayreville. The family received friends at the church prior to the funeral mass from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Arrangements are by the Akard Funeral Home.
Dr. Knowles Lawrence
Was Eminent Surgeon
Dr. Knowles B. Lawrence of North Hill in Needham died on Friday, May 10, at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston. He was 93.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was a Needham resident for 57 years and a summer resident of Oak Bluffs since 1926. He was the husband of Olive H. Lawrence, who died shortly before him on Friday, May 10, at the North Hill Skilled Nursing Facility in Needham.
Dr. Lawrence was graduated from Yale University and then from Yale Medical College in 1934. He was a board-certified general surgeon who served in the U.S. Army 6th General Hospital in North Africa and Italy during World War II.
He practiced surgery at Glover Memorial Hospital in Needham starting in 1947 and served as chief of surgery starting in 1968. He started the cancer management board at Glover Hospital. Dr. Lawrence also practiced at New England Baptist Hospital, the Veterans Hospital, Faulkner Hospital and Newton-Wellesley Hospital. He was an associate professor of surgery at Boston University Medical School, and authored 25 papers on surgical subjects, most of them related to cancer.
Dr. Lawrence was a past president of the Norfolk County Medical Society and a member of the New England Surgical Society. He volunteered as a surgeon at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti and the Frontier Nursing Service in Appalachia.
Following his retirement, he served for several years as the ship's surgeon at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. In later years, he volunteered with the Charles River Association for Retarded Citizens.
He is survived by his children, Judge Paul Lawrence and his wife, Jane, of Francetown, N.H.; Evelyne Lawrence of Louisville, Ky., and Susan Lawrence of Albany, N.Y.; his grandchildren, Damara Jenkins, Ira and Michael Van Irvin and Duncan and Jessica Lawrence, and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at the Carter memorial Methodist Church in Needham Heights. A gathering of friends and family will follow the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Knowles B. Lawrence Education Fund for Doctors and Nurses, c/o Deaconess-Glover Hospital, 148 Chestnut street, Needham, MA 02492.
E. Newton Cutler Jr., 86
Was Banker, Avid Sailor
E. Newton Cutler Jr., of Bryn Mawr, Pa., and Edgartown died on March 24 at the age of 86. Born April 13, 1915, and raised in Morristown, N.J., he was graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., in 1933 and from Princeton University in 1937. In 1936, he was manager of the Princeton varsity football team.
His entire business career was spent in banking except for his service in World War II as a lieutenant in the air wing of the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific. He spent more than 35 years with Citibank in New York, leaving as senior vice president in 1974 to become chairman of Horizon Bancorp of Morristown, N.J., until his retirement in 1979.
He lived in New Vernon, N.J., before moving in 1999 to Bryn Mawr, but Edgartown was his summer residence for most of the past 60 years. In the mid-1970s he built a house on Chappaquiddick and became an active member of the Chappaquiddick Island Association, serving as its president from 1979 to 1980.
He loved the outdoors and in particular was an avid sailor. He served the Edgartown Yacht Club in various capacities, including as its treasurer in 1954, and from 1982 through 1987 as rear commodore, vice commodore and then commodore. He was also a member of the Edgartown Golf Club and the Edgartown Reading Room.
In addition to his wife of 64 years, Beverly Waring, he is survived by two sons, Earle N. Cutler 3rd of Vero Beach, Fla., and Edgartown, and Michael W. Cutler of West Tisbury; two daughters, Carolyn C. Goodman of Villanova, Pa., and Edgartown and Allison C. Fox of Devon, Pa., and Edgartown; 11 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Contributions may be made in his memory to the Vineyard Sailing Foundation, P.O. Box 319, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 or to St. Paul's School, 325 Pleasant street, Concord, NH 03301. A memorial service will be held in Edgartown this summer at a date to be determined.
Wayne F. Coutinho, 55
Was Fisherman, Hunter
Wayne F. Coutinho of Oak Bluffs died peacefully on June 3, after a lengthy bout with cancer, at the home of his brother and sister in law, Alan and Deborah Coutinho.
Born on the Island on August 15, 1946, Wayne was a well-known fisherman, hunter and laborer who turned his hand from painting to carpentry and shellfishing. For a time he ran his own boat, Yummy, named after his father.
He was instrumental as a fisherman to have limpets designated by the Massschusetts legislature as a fish. At one time, Wayne was actively involved in negotiations with businesses in France to market this product there.
A person who felt deeply concerned with open space on the Island for fishermen and hunters alike, Wayne could be found almost daily at Dippin' Donuts before heading out on his various jobs or fishing trips.
After leaving high school, he became a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. Between 1967 and 1973 he served 15 months active duty as a cook, with "A" Battery, 1 Battalion, 79th Artillery in Korea, and was honorably discharged in October 1973.
Wayne was predeceased by his mother, Frances (Finnucane) Coutinho, and his father, Manuel "Yummy" Coutinho. Besides his brother, he leaves two nephews, Jonathan M Coutinho of Houston and Paul A Coutinho of Manassas, Va.; twin great nieces, Grace and Olivia Coutinho, also of Manassas; two uncles, John Coutinho of Oak Bluffs and Francis Coutinho of West Tisbury; one aunt, Chandra Mongillo of Southington, Conn., and Oak Bluffs, and numerous cousins and many friends.
A memorial service dedicating his cremains to the sea will be scheduled at a date to be announced.
Donations in Wayne's memory may be made to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. Arrangements under the care the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs.
Hazel Jackson Vincent
Was Captain's Daughter
Mrs. Hazel M. Jackson Vincent, 90, wife of the late Edward W. Vincent Sr., died May 16 at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital. Mrs. Vincent was born on May 21, 1911 in Edgartown. She was the daughter of the late Capt. Robert L. Jackson Sr., and his wife, Annie M. Redding Jackson. Mrs. Vincent's father was one of the best known Edgartown fishermen, captaining a number of deepwater vessels including the Progress (destroyed by a German submarine on the fishing grounds during World War I), the Liberty and the Hazel M. Jackson, named after his daughter.
Mrs. Vincent, who was graduated with honors in 1929 from the Edgartown High School, was active during her school years in sports (track and basketball), having been elected the first girl captain of the Edgartown High School track team in 1927. She later graduated from Hudson College in Maine.
She and Edward W. Vincent Sr. were married
on August 24, 1935 in Wollaston and resided in Edgartown for their entire lives. Her late husband was a prominent Edgartown businessman who served on many Edgartown town boards, including as selectman, and owned and operated the Edgartown Drug Store for many years until his retirement.
She is survived by her son, attorney Edward W. Vincent Jr. of Edgartown and his wife, Melissa Norton Vincent; four granddaughters, Eve L. Vincent, Katherine Hazel Vincent, Stephanie M. Vincent and Sarah V. Vincent; two step-grandsons, Taylor A. Eppers and Chase N. Eppers, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A graveside service was held in the Old Westside cemetery in Edgartown on Tuesday, May 21, officiated by the Rev. Kenneth Campbell. Donations may be made in her memory to the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society. Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
