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Francis W. Stork, 89
Was Award-Winning Sculptor
Francis Wharton Stork, 89, well known Philadelphia sculptor, died July 22 at Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, N.H.
A summer resident of Chilmark for more than 60 years, Mr. Stork sojourned at the Storks Nest family cottage on Squibnocket Pond. Besides being a distinguished sculptor, he was an avid tennis and bridge player and an inveterate tinkerer. His last "project" in recent months was to successfully convert a regular bicycle into a stationary exercise bicycle. Mr. Stork was an occasional contributor of poems to the Vineyard Gazette, as were his late sister, Rosalie Stork Regen, and his parents, artist Lisl von Pausinger Stork and Charles Wharton Stork, author of Vineyard and the Sea (1977). Joseph Wharton, who founded the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania, was his great-great uncle.
Mr. Stork was born in Philadelphia and attended Germantown Friends School, Penn Charter Academy, Solebury Prep and Haverford College. He began his sculpting career in the 1930s at Temple University's Tyler Art School, where he earned a BA and MA in fine arts.
Mr. Stork sculpted in many media including marble, onyx, alabaster, bronze, walnut, ebony, plaster and plastic. He received numerous honors for his abstract and realistic work at shows in Philadelphia, New York, Martha's Vineyard and elsewhere during his career of more than 60 years. His works can be seen in Philadelphia at the Athenaeum, the Woodmere Art Gallery and Temple University as well as in numerous private collections on Martha's Vineyard and across America.
Mr. Stork was the husband of the late Marguerite Newbold Stork. He is survived by his brother, G. Frederick Stork of Chevy Chase, Md., known for his published photographs of the Island; his nephew, Richard Wharton Regen of Rochester, N.Y., and Chilmark; his niece and goddaughter, Deborah Regen of Bath, N.H., and nine other nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held August 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Should friends desire, donations to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital Development Fund, Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 would be appreciated.
Lawrence Drake, 83
Was Architect, War Veteran
Lawrence Drake, 83, of Chappaquonsett (Vineyard Haven), and Gladwyne, Pa., died on August 30 after a long illness.
He was born on a farm in Warrenton, Va., son of William Wilson Drake, and Edith Lawrence Drake. He graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., in l937, and Princeton University in l941. During World War II he led mule battalions carrying supplies over the mountains of New Guinea and attained the rank of major.
After the war, he pursued a long-term dream and got degrees in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. One of his first jobs was to make more summery a Cape-style house in Chappaquonsett owned by his then mother-in-law, Helen Pratt Philbin. The house contains many architectural elements removed from the late 18th-century Jenny Athearn house which formerly stood near Watcha Pond (and in its later years served as a shelter for sheep).
Although he designed houses, many additions to houses, a skating rink, and at least one professional building, he is best known for his churches built in the greater Philadelphia area, St. John's Lutheran Church in Phoenixville and St. Mary Magdalen in Media among them. He was active in local politics and planning in Schuylkill Township, Pa., as well.
He is survived by his wife, Cassandra( Franklin Morris) Drake; two daughters, Erin Gray of New York, N.Y., and Amanda Austwick of Flag Pond, Tenn., both by his first wife, Jane (Erin Emmet) Drake (l923-1970). He is also survived by two grandchildren, Peter and Olivia Gray, four stepchildren and seven step-grandchildren.
A funeral service was held at St. Christopher's Church in Gladwyne, Pa., on Sept. 8. Donations in his memory may be made to the Vineyard Conservation Society Inc., The French and Pickering Creek Conservation Trust, Coventry House, 3340 Coventryville Road, Pottstown, PA 02565 or the Alzheimer's Association, 919 N. Michigan avenue, Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 606ll-l676.
Carl M. Maseda
Served Boat Line for Decades
Carl M. Maseda of Lakeland, Fla., died on May 9, 2001 in Tampa at the age of 78. He was the husband of Anne Hilton Maseda, who died in 1983.
Mr. Maseda was born and raised on the Vineyard and lived briefly in Fairhaven before settling in Falmouth. He was employed by the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority as a first mate for 46 years, taking time off to serve in the Navy during World War II. He was an avid sports fan, fisherman and an accomplished gardener. After his retirement, he moved to Florida.
He is survived by two sons, Ronald H. and Phillip A. Maseda, and a daughter, Mary F. Marks, all of Falmouth; three brothers, Dominges of Vineyard Haven, Antone of Oak Bluffs and Gilbert of New Bedford; six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony's cemetery, 167 E. Falmouth Highway, East Falmouth.
Karen Swift Searle
Was Longtime Island Resident
Karen (Swift) Searle of Edgartown died Sunday, July 29, in St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford after a brief illness.
She was the wife of the late John Henry Searle and was born on Dec. 3, 1934, the daughter of Donald S. and Janet E. McQuarrie in Boston.
Mrs. Searle was educated in the Martha's Vineyard school system and first worked at the Cedar Inn. She worked for the Harborside Inn for 17 years before working for the Square Rigger Restaurant for the past eight years.
Mrs. Searle was fond of entertaining family and friends at her home and playing cards, fishing and hunting. She had belonged to the bowling league at the former bowling alley in Vineyard Haven.
She is survived by two sons, Glenn S. Searle and Kevin L.K. Searle, both of Edgartown; a daughter, Janet LaValley, and her husband, Raymond, of Fall River; four granddaughters and one grandson, and close cousins Dean and Kay Swift.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. in the New Westside cemetery, Edgartown on Thursday, August 2, officiated by the Rev. Robert Edmunds. Donations in her memory may be made to the Edgartown Fireman's Association Fireworks Fund, the Pink Squid Yacht Club, the M.S.P.C.A., or to the Animal Rescue League.
Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
Julienne Marshall
Was Gentle and Friendly Lady
Julienne Mae (Costa) Marshall died peacefully in Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday, Oct. 9, after fighting a gallant battle with cancer for four years.
A gentle lady, she had a warm smile that greeted her family and numerous friends, especially those with whom she was associated for more than a quarter of a century at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, from which she retired as assistant head of housekeeping. She excelled in her artistic ability of making quilts; each one was made with love for someone special.
She was a 1961 graduate of the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. She was a resident of Dunham avenue, Vineyard Haven.
She is survived by her husband, James J. Marshall, to whom she was married
on Feb. 10, 1962, and their children, James J. Marshall Jr. and his wife, Christine, of Malden, Nancy A. Marshall of Montague and Janet L. Lee and her husband, Nelson, of Leominster. Also surviving are four grandsons, Ryan and Justin Lee of Leominster, Tyler Patton Kendrick of Montague and Benjamin James Marshall of Malden; her mother, Jeanette F. (Peters) Costa of Oak Bluffs; her sisters, Patricia A. Costa and Virginia A. (Ginny) Hall, both of Oak Bluffs; her godmother, Josephine (Peters) Pinto and her husband, Candido, of South Yarmouth; her godfather, Raymond D. Costa and his wife, Dorothy, of Santa Maria, Calif.; her nephew, Fred C. Hall and his wife, Helene, of Oak Bluffs; and her niece, Heather (Hall) Holt and her husband, Leon of Framingham; and her husband's aunt and uncle, Mary and Stanley Marshall of Vineyard Haven. She was predeceased by her father, Manuel J. Costa.
Her funeral mass will be celebrated in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Oak Bluffs on Friday, Oct. 12, at 11 a.m. Visiting hours were at the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs on Thursday, Oct. 11. Interment will be in Oak Grove cemetery, Tisbury.
In her memory, one may send donations to Hospice of MV, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or to the American Cancer Society, 720 Main street, Hyannis, MA 02601.
Emily P. Leadbitter, 81
Was Active as Volunteer
Emily P. Leadbitter of Tisbury died at her home on Wednesday, August 8. She was 81.
Emily was born in Plainfield, N.J., on August 24, 1920 to the late John B. and Elsie M. Rimmer Slorah. She shared 61 years of marriage with her late husband, Stanley N. Leadbitter, who predeceased her on August 22, 1999.
She was a year-round resident of Martha's Vineyard for the past 35 years. She was a member of the First Baptist Church, Vineyard Haven. She also volunteered in many Island organizations such as Scouting, the Red Cross, Tisbury Council on Aging and the "Shine" program.
She is survived by her three children; Robert G. of Waynesboro, Va., Judith Richmond of Surry, Me., and Susan Simons of Hampden; also eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to her funeral service at the First Baptist Church in Tisbury at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 11. Visiting hours are at the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs on Friday, August 10, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Donations in her memory may be made to the MV Cancer Support, P.O. Box 2214, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, Hospice of MV, Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or First Baptist Church Renovation Fund, P.O. Box 806, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
Joseph Tierney, 76
Was Veteran of World War II
Joseph K. Tierney, family man, building contractor and public servant, died at his home on July 14 after a long battle with leukemia. He was 76 years old and a year-round resident of Tisbury for more than 30 years.
Joseph was born in Arlington on June 8, 1925, the oldest son of Joseph Tierney and Margaret Hunt. He attended Arlington High School, graduating with the class of 1942 and shortly thereafter he entered the United States Marine Corps. He was stationed with the Third Airwing, Marine Aviation Separation Unit One, at Cherry Point, N.C., between November of 1944 and November of 1945. He served in the Central Pacific and achieved the rank of staff sergeant before being honorably discharged in April of 1946.
He married
Louise Warren on Feb. 6, 1960, and they settled in Arlington, where they started their family of four children. At the time he was working for Swiedler Builders of Weston. In 1968 when the company moved to Georgia, he decided his roots were in New England and took a chance on a position with Dr. Alvin Strock on a development called Waterview Farms, on the Island of Martha's Vineyard. In 1970 he started his own company and along with his brother, Paul, opened Cape and Island Supply, a building materials and supply business at the site of the present Woodland Market.
After several seasonal moves he built a home for his family in Tisbury. When Cape and Island Supply was sold he retained the construction business. He owned and operated Tierney Construction Company for many years, joined by his son, Joseph in 1986, the company built and maintained many Island homes. He enjoyed a long list of Island and seasonal clients who became family friends.
Mr. Tierney served as water commissioner and was a member of the zoning board of appeals for the town of Tisbury. He was also a member of the Tisbury fire department. Engine #3, legion pumper and the American Legion Post #257. In his spare time he enjoyed playing tennis and visiting Island beaches with his family.
He is survived by his loving wife, Louise, and three children, Joseph Jr. and wife Amy of Tisbury, Susan Chapman and husband, Joseph of Chilmark and David of Providence; four grandchildren, Joseph 3rd and Andrea Tierney, Cooper and Hadley Chapman; Seven brothers and sisters, Margaret Lynch of South Dennis, John and James of Arlington, Jean Jenkins of Sandwich, Robert of Woburn, Paul of Falmouth and Richard of Orchard Park, N.Y. He also leaves many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his daughter, Marybeth, his brother, William and his sisters, Ann and Eileen Garyck.
His funeral mass will be celebrated in St. Augustine's Church, Vineyard Haven at noon on Saturday, July 21. Interment will follow in Oak Grove cemetery in Vineyard Haven with full military honors provided by the Martha's Vineyard veterans. Visiting hours will be in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs on Friday, July 20, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Donations may be made in his memory to the Tisbury Firefighters Association Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1239, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, to the Vineyard Nursing Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Josephine A. McDonald
Was Librarian, Teacher
Funeral services for Josephine A. (Kasheta) McDonald, 85, mother of Edgartown library director Ann Tyra, will be held Thursday in Springfield. Mrs. McDonald, a longtime former resident of Springfield and former director of school libraries for the Longmeadow public schools, died August 16 in Portsmouth, N.H., of Alzheimer’s disease.
Born in Branford, Conn., July 22, 1916, she was graduated from then Worcester State Teachers College in 1937 and received her master of library science degree from Simmons College in 1942.
She worked for the U.S. Army at the Watertown Armory and served as librarian at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod during World War II. Immediately following the war’s end, she traveled through Europe establishing libraries for American forces, including service in Berlin, Germany.
She moved to Springfield with her husband in 1946 and spent several years as base librarian at Westover AFB before joining the Longmeadow school system in 1960 as librarian at Williams Middle School. She retired in 1981. During her professional career, she was active on statewide committees developing standards for school libraries. She also taught library science at Westfield State College.
The widow of William C. McDonald, who died in 1984, she leaves, in addition to Mrs. Tyra, a son, William M. of Brookline; two brothers, John of Millbury and Alphonse of Auburn, and three grandchildren, Meredith, Dillon and Julia McDonald.
A funeral mass will be said Thursday, August 30, at 10 a.m. in Holy Cross Church, Springfield. Interment will be in Gate of Heaven cemetery, Springfield.
Memorial contributions may be made to Edgartown Public Library, P.O. Box 5249, Edgartown, MA 02539-5249. Assistance with the arrangements was by the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory in Hampton, N.H.
Eleanor Hine Kranz
Was Devoted to Civic Causes
Eleanor Hine Kranz, 87, longtime resident of East Chop and a lifelong volunteer for educational and environmental causes, died at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Saturday, August 11, from complications following a stroke suffered in her home on August 8.
Ellie Kranz was born on Sept. 29, 1913 in New Britain, Conn., the daughter of Albert Case Hine and Adelaide Wells Hine. She is a 1930 graduate of Bradford Academy in Massachusetts and a 1934 graduate of Connecticut College in New London, Conn.
On August 8, 1936, she married
John Robert (Red) Kranz, a Wesleyan University graduate who became an insurance executive with Johnson and Higgins in New York. The couple lived in New York and northern New Jersey, spending summers on the Vineyard from 1954 to 1974, when they became year-round residents. Mr. Kranz died in 1987, and Mrs. Kranz has lived alone in her beloved Chop Chop, 307 East Chop Drive, ever since.
Ellie raised four children: John R. Kranz Jr. of Baltimore, Md. (deceased 1996); David L. Kranz of Carlisle, Pa.; Virginia K. Crossland of Oak Bluffs (deceased 1984), and Judith Ellen Kranz of New York. In addition to the two children named above, she is survived by by five grandchildren.
Ellie was a volunteer editor of the Connecticut College Alumnae News in the 1960s, on the board of trustees of the college from 1969 to 1974, president of the class of 1934 from 1984 to 1989, and the recipient of the Agnes Berkeley Leahy Award in 1975 for volunteer efforts on behalf of Connecticut College. She was also a public relations assistant to the president of Ramapo College in New Jersey from 1971 to 1974.
On the Island, Mrs. Kranz served as president of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club from 1980 to 1982, leading the campaign to save the Old Mill. She also served on the board of the Vineyard Conservation Society for more than 15 years, taking her turn as president from 1988 to 1991. In addition, she was active on the board of the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust.
For many years, Ellie was an enthusiastic member of the East Chop Association, the East Chop Beach Club, and the East Chop Tennis Club. She was also a charter member of the Farm Neck Golf Club, having taken up the sport at sixty-five, and she had winter privileges at the Edgartown Yacht Club.
Along with her passion for education and for the ecology and aesthetics of Marthas’s Vineyard Island, Ellie Kranz was devoted to family and friends, of which she had many. Her other passions included a daily perusal of The New York Times, regular physical exercise in the form of tennis and golf, and regular mental exercise in the form of bridge and crossword puzzles. She also loved travel to exotic locales around the globe.
Outspoken and feisty yet unfailingly compassionate and generous, Ellie had a patriot’s love of the U.S.A. and strongly supported the principles of the Democratic Party, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt through William Jefferson Clinton. She was proud to be a card-carrying member of the ACLU as well.
A memorial service will be held at the Federated Church in Edgartown at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 17. Donations in her memory may be made to Connecticut College, Development Office, 270 Mohegan avenue, New London, CT 06320-4196, the Vineyard Conservation Society, P.O. Box 2189, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust Inc., P.O. Box 5277, Edgartown, MA 02539.
John E. Novak, 72
Was Self-Employed Builder
John E. Novak died at his home in Tisbury surrounded by family on Sunday, Sept. 9, after a brief illness. He was born on March 1, 1929, the son of the late Joseph and Mary Gadomska Novak, in New Haven, Conn. He was graduated from Hill House High School in New Haven and was on the championship swim team.
Mr. Novak moved to the Vineyard more than 30 years ago and lived in Edgartown until he built his house in Tisbury this past year with his wife, Janet Morrice Novak.
He was a self-employed construction builder and was a veteran of the Korean conflict. He served in the Marine Corps as a sergeant and received the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in battle at Soyang-gang in September of 1951. He was a member of the Tisbury Veterans of Foreign Wars.
John's love of talking politics and religion, in which he was always right, was exceeded only by his love of family.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by five daughters, Deborah Cottrill of Ivoryton, Conn., Audrey Novak of New Haven, Conn., Vivian Novak of Killingworth, Conn., and Kim O'Callaghan and Laurie Halt, both of Vineyard Haven; six grandchildren, Matthew Cottrill, Liam and Gillian O'Callaghan and Cooper, Connor and Maggie Johnson; two brothers, Walter Novak of Seattle, Wash., and Stanley Novak of the New Haven area, and four sisters, Anna Wnek, Helen Jasinski, Stephanie Piascik and Theodora Piascik. He was the brother off the late Joseph and Frank Novak, Mary Chernowitz and Lottie Damutz.
His funeral mass will be celebrated in St. Augustine's Church in Tisbury at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Interment will follow at the Oak Grove cemetery in Tisbury with full military honors provided by the veterans of Martha's Vineyard. Visiting hours at the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs are from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. Donations in his memory may be made to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or to the Visiting Nurse Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Elizabeth Ann Holt, 54
Took Joy in Her Family
Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Holt, 54, of West Tisbury died on Friday, July 13, at home surrounded by her family after a long battle against ovarian cancer. She was the wife of Robert W. Holt.
Betty was born in Springfield and lived in Bernardston for a number of years, working at the Four Leaf Clover Restaurant. She moved to the Island in 1974, living in West Tisbury, and worked at the Conroy Apothecary in North Tisbury, where countless people enjoyed seeing her smile each morning.
Betty's joy was always in her family and their accomplishments, which were steadfastly guided by her love and encouragement. Her garden, along with the flowers and vegetables she coaxed from the soil with great determination, was a lifelong passion instilled deep within by her late parents at their East Longmeadow home.
Additionally, the Plymouth Bay Girl Scouts, Troop 802, found in Betty a demanding leader, but one who enjoyed all the activities and learning steps in helping the young women she worked with become better citizens.
Her loving spirit is carried on through the lives of her family and close friends including her husband and best friend, Bob, whose inspiration, strength and support made her life a joy; her sons, Ronald T. and Robert C. and his wife, Gena; a daughter, Briana V.; her brother, Michael J. Prendergast; her sisters, Sandra J. Weber of Ohio and Kathleen Hobaica of East Longmeadow.
Her funeral mass will be celebrated at Our Lady, Star of the Sea Church in Oak Bluffs at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 16. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to O.C.E.A.N. c/o Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney street, Boston, MA 02115.
Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
