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William Auge
William "Bill" Auge died Saturday, Sept. 22, at Life Care Center of Vista in Vista, Calif. He was 94 years old.
Bill was born April 29, 1907, in Eikel, Westfalen, Germany, the elder son of Theodore William Auge and Emma Vitz Auge. He immigrated to the United States in 1912, accompanied by his mother, sister and baby brother.
He grew up in southern Illinois and worked in a coal mine for five years beginning at the age of 14. He married
Helen Hittler in 1929, in Chicago. He later married
Fern Bernice Schwinkendorff, in 1936, and then Frances Wokral, in 1944, also in Chicago.
On July 14, 1987, he and Helene Mary Fox were married
in Lakeside, Calif.
Auge worked for Montgomery Ward and later as a machinist for the New York Central Railroad and then, after moving to southern California, for the Weiser Lock Company.
He is survived by a daughter, Lois Grace Auge Gelzer, a longtime Oak Bluffs resident now living in Cape Elizabeth, Me.; a grandson, Henry Lawrence Gelzer of Windham, Me.; a great-grandson, Alexander Thomas Gelzer of Windham, Me.; and a great-granddaughter, Phelan Elizabeth Gelzer of Windham, Me.
A son, William Auge Jr., predeceased him in 1941. In 1986 he was predeceased by his wife, Frances Auge, and in 1996 by his wife, Helene Auge.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Lung Association, 1740 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
Robert L. Renear, 72
Was Active in Local Politics
After a lengthy illness and having spent the last few years in a wheelchair, Robert Leland Renear died at home on Friday, Oct. 12, with his family at his bedside. He was the son of the late Leland W. and Mary B. Renear.
Mr. Renear was born in 1929 on Martha's Vineyard. He graduated from Tisbury High School and attended New London Junior College and the Armed Forces Institute. He served in the 96th Field Artillery Battalion during the Korean War, and was awarded three battle stars and the bronze star medal for his service.
While living in Vineyard Haven, he was active in local politics. He served as a library trustee for 25 years, including his time as board and building committee chairman for the new library building in 1965. He was very proud of the new library building and was pleased to receive both federal and state funding for it.
He was a volunteer firefighter for almost 40 years, and served on various traffic, harbor and consolidation committees. His favorite job was being the man in the red suit and white beard each year at the fire station. He played Santa for 33 years and always said he had more fun than the kids did. He served on the Tisbury, Regional and Union school committees, was chairman of the Tisbury and Union school committees, and was a trustee and treasurer for the Christ Methodist Church for many years.
Mr. Renear was a third-generation Ford dealer. He won many car and truck sales awards for outselling the competition. What pleased him the most were the many awards for excellence in service that his dealership won. He was elected to the Ford dealer council twice.
He also was in the marine business for several years. He ran Edgartown Marine and then started his own marine brokerage before returning to the automobile business. His goal was to have sold 5,000 cars and trucks, but he missed it by 124.
Mr. Renear was an excellent woodworker and was noted for his Island clocks and cutting boards, which he sold through a small side business, The Wooden Branch, at craft shows and through mail orders. He was associated with the Vineyard Craftsmen, serving as both treasurer and the chairman of the Vineyard Craftsmen Memorial Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to local graduates going into the field of arts or crafts.
He semi-retired in 1993 and leased and ran the Menemsha Market for several enjoyable years. He was an avid reader and enjoyed writing a collection of short stories and anecdotes of his life growing up on the Vineyard.
He will be remembered as an especially loving and caring husband, father and friend, with a deep feeling of responsibility to his family, church and community.
Mr. Renear is survived by his wife and best friend, Polly Renear. They were married
for 50 years. He is also survived by his three wonderful daughters, Jane, Sally and Mary Jo; two grandsons, Ryan and Cory McGrath; two granddaughters, Nina and Zoe Listro, and two sons in law, Kevin McGrath and Dean Listro. He is also survived by two brothers, Miles W. Renear and Walter H. Renear, and predeceased by another brother, Dixon B. Renear.
A memorial service was held Monday, Oct. 15, at the West Tisbury Congregational Church.
Donations in his memory may be made to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557; to Visiting Nurse Association of Martha's Vineyard, or to the West Tisbury Congregational Church. Arrangements by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home.
William B. Gibson, 68
Was Sergeant in Army
Sgt. William B. Gibson (U.S. Army, Ret.) died at his home in Great Bend, N.Y., on Oct. 1 at the age of 68.
Bill, as his friends knew him, entered the Army in 1953 and was stationed in Hawaii from 1955 through 1958. He did two tours of duty in Korea, 1959 to 1961 and 1962 to 1963. He served in Vietnam from 1965 through 1967 and, before returning to this country, was stationed in Germany from 1968 through 1970.
Bill retired from the service in 1973, and he and his family returned to Martha's Vineyard, where Bill and his wife, Betty, managed the snack bar at the former Brickman Bowling Alley in Vineyard Haven for three years. The family then returned to Betty's hometown of Deferiet, N.Y., where they had been married
in the Fort Drum Chapel on Sept. 12, 1954. He worked at St. Regis Paper Co. in Deferiet for 15 years before retiring.
He was a member of Black River American Legion Post and Carthage Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Gertrude Gibson of Vineyard Haven, a brother, James of Oak Bluffs, and a son, John.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons William, of Attleboro; Dennis, of Syracuse, N.Y.; Richard, whose address is unknown, and Francis, of Great Bend, N.Y.; a daughter, Deborah, of Deferiet, N.Y.; a sister, Patricia Rogers, of Vineyard Haven; two brothers, Frank, of Oak Bluffs, and Roger, of Marion; 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; seven nieces, six nephews and several great-nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Oct. 4 at Boussout-Lundy Funeral Home with the Rev. Harry R. Jensen officiating. Interment was in Black River cemetery in Carthage with military honors.
Myra Graves Houle
Was Active Island Volunteer
Myra Graves Houle, beloved wife of Raymond Proctor Houle for 59 years, died at her home in West Tisbury on Saturday, August 4.
Born Sept. 25, 1918, in Sunderland to Richard and Augusta Graves, Myra was a graduate of Massachusetts State College (UMass at Amherst). She taught for more than 25 years, first at Coventry Day School in Coventry, Conn., and later at Parker Memorial Grammar School in Tolland, Conn. She resided in Andover, Conn., for 30 years, where she served on the first RHAM High School building committee and board of education. Myra also was a charter member of the Andover Historical Society and a member of the Norton commission.
Myra then retired to West Tisbury. During her 24 years as a resident on the Island, Myra volunteered her time in the service of others, at the Vineyard Haven library, the Thrift Shop and on the board of directors of the Vineyard Visiting Nurses Association. She also was an active member of the Up-Island Hospital Auxiliary, where she participated in the Tree of Lights and the Columbus Day Luncheon. She was an enthusiastic supporter of and volunteer for Felix Wildlife Sanctuary, where she shared her love of nature with her grandchildren. She was a member of the Vineyard Conservation Society and the Marthašs Vineyard Garden Club, as well as the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury, where she participated in the Christmas Fair.
Myra loved to read, to watch birds and her flower gardens. She understood the inquisitive and curious nature of children and appreciated the beauty of the natural world. She loved to walk the beaches of Marthašs Vineyard with friends and family.
She will be missed by her children, Peter Houle and wife Christine of Andover, Conn.; Betsy (Elisabeth) Houle of Andover, Conn., and Mark Houle and his wife Laurel of Hebron, Conn. Also her grandchildren, Jennifer Yorke and her husband Jason and great-granddaughter Emily of Mansfield, Conn.; Kimberly Worlow and her husband Shawn of Tyler, Tex.; Jonathan Houle of Andover, Conn.; Nathaniel and Sebastian of Hebron, Conn.; Daniel and Scott Warren of Andover, Conn.; her brother, Richard Graves and his wife Shirley of Sunderland; brothers in law Charles Crowley of Kennebunk, Me., and Richard Dupris of Saco, Me., and her many nieces and nephews and friends. She was predeceased by her sisters, Julia Crowley and Loraine Dupris.
A celebration of her life will take place at the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury at 1 p.m. There will also be an off-Island service in Andover, Conn., on August 25 at the First Congregational Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Felix Neck Wildlife Trust Inc., P.O. Box 2180, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or to the Vineyard Visiting Nurse Association, Linton Lane, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Olive (Cutie) Bowles
Was Gifted Artist, Thespian
Olive L. Bowles died peacefully at her home on Sept. 6, 2001. Olive Linnington Bowles was born on May 11, 1912 in New York city, the seventh of 15 children of Hezekiah and Olive Brown.
Cutie, as she was aptly and affectionately known, was married
to William Bowles for 55 years. He predeceased her in 1990. She worked as a seamstress and a theatre dresser in New York city.
A summer visitor to Martha's Vineyard since the 1940s, she was a member of the Shearer Summer Theatre group in Oak Bluffs, always playing the feisty female second lead. Her roles ranged from Nancy in Gaslight to Emelia in Othello. She was also a founding member of the Cottagers and a member of the NAACP.
Cutie began her professional career in 1942, when she sculptured the animal figures for Countee Cullen's book, The Lost Zoo. The figures are in Countee Cullen's permanent collection at Atlanta University.
After her retirement in 1970 she lived year-round in Oak Bluffs, where she devoted time to travel and art. She was an exuberant and frequent winner in the All-Island Art Show and was named an Island Treasure by their art committee in 2000. She had showings at the Cinque Gallery in Soho, New York city, and the Dragonfly Gallery in Oak Bluffs.
Her corner cottage with the bright red shutters in the Highlands was her studio and gallery, and from there she casually sold her paintings. The sale of her art was a social event and an act of joy.
From that cottage she meditated every morning, fed a succession of pet dogs and wild birds and received family and friends, sharing her positive philosophy of life. She didn't preach, but rather taught by example. On the occasion of Willie and Cutie's 50th wedding anniversary, Dorothy West spoke for her friends and family when she said that "they were full of life and zest and they are also full of loving kindness. Their attitudes and actions, their very appearance, gentle the span of years."
In her span of years, as Ann Wells wrote in the Martha's Vineyard Times, "Cutie Bowles was a woman born with the gift of joy." We thank her for guiding us and sharing that joy.
She is survived by her daughter, Olive Tomlinson; her two grandsons, John Forrest Tomlinson and Peter Bowles Tomlinson and her granddaughter-in-law, Li Qinghua; five sisters, Frances Patterson, Edith Roach, Bernice Wilkinson, Dorothy Brown and Lorraine Fells; two brothers, Artherling Brown and Donald Brown.
A memorial celebrating Cutie's life will be held at the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Cutie's memory to Windemere Nursing Home, P.O. Box 1747, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or to Visiting Nurse Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Rd., Oak Bluffs.
Sarah Kenyon, 95
Was Native of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Sarah W. Kenyon of Vero Beach, Fla., died Tuesday, July 17, 2001 at Health South Rehabilitation Hospital in Vero Beach. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Feb. 19, 1906, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Hudson. She was graduated from secretarial school in New York City to become secretary to the president of L.C. Smith Typewriter in New York city.
Mrs. Kenyon was predeceased by her beloved sister, Alice H. Skirrow, who died Sept. 22, 2000; a son, William H. Whitney, who died in 1988 in Ann Arbor, Mich., and her first husband, Willett P. Whitney, to whom she was married
for 31 years. She then married
Theodore S. Kenyon of Summit, N.J., residing during both marriages in Short Hills, N.J., for 55 years. During part of that time she was a dedicated secretary to the principal of Hartshorn Elementary School.
In 1985, some time after the death of her second husband, she and her sister moved to Farmington Woods, Conn., where her daughter, Jean Whitney Little Bird, resides with her husband, Frederic H. Bird. She and her sister lived there for four years before making Florida their state of residence.
In addition to her daughter, she leaves three grandchildren, Ross C. Little of Vienna, Va., Sarah L. Greene of Tom's River, N.J., and James W. Little of Short Hills, N.J. She also leaves six great-granddaughters and five great-grandsons. Mrs. Kenyon is survived by the devoted family of her second husband, Mr. and Mrs. Edward T. Kenyon of Chilmark, and their four sons, David, Jim, Jonathan and Ted, and their families.
In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to a charity of choice or to the St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 475 43rd Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32968.
Strunk Funeral Home, Vero Beach, is in charge of arrangements.
Nancy Cox Hollister
Was Strong and Loving Person
Nancy Cox Hollister, a lifelong summer resident of the Vineyard, died at home in Santa Barbara, Calif., on July 31, 2001. She was born in Syracuse, N.Y., on May 11, 1914. Her parents, Professor Phillip W.L. Cox and Ruth Dillaway Cox, were longtime residents of North Tisbury.
Nan's earliest childhood memories were of visits to her grandfather, the Hon. Alfred E. Cox, who purchased his summer home on Seaview avenue in Oak Bluffs in the 1890s. Her father, desiring to offer his family a more rural experience than the white-gloved Victorian life of her grandfather's home, acquired one of the three cottages in the then isolated Heathern Heights section of Oak Bluffs, overlooking the Lagoon.
It was here at what became known as Red Roof Cottage that Nan and her brothers, Phil Jr. and Ted Cox, spent their childhood summers, living close to the land in the wide-open spaces. The kids pumped water from the well and fished and gathered scallops from the Lagoon. They walked to Grandma Silvia's farm for milk, eggs and vegetables. Grandma Silvia's son, John, did all the needed carpentry and maintenance for the cottage. And, at the end of each season, John's wife, Anna, scrubbed the summer's grime from the Cox kids. She had a bathtub in her house.
Nan attended Antioch College in the early 1930s and spent a year abroad in Europe and the newly recognized Soviet Union. She then devoted her work to the labor and civil rights movement. In 1937 she became executive director of the New Jersey Civil Liberties Union. This position led to a position as assistant to the national director of the American League for Peace and Democracy. Nan was known as one who could discern quickly what was needed, who could think on her feet in volatile situations and prevent violent situations from escalating.
In 1939, Nan spent a winter on the Vineyard where she worked to refurbish the North Tisbury farmhouse that her parents had purchased for their retirement years. That spring she began to serve as an apprentice to a master weaver from Austria and became an accomplished weaver herself. Much later she discovered her talent as a sculptor. Many clay figures, especially of animals, will long survive.
In 1955, her parents gave the Red Roof cottage to Nan, which she continued to enjoy for at least part of every summer throughout her life. The annual return to a place beloved since childhood provided a touchstone - both a sanctuary and a stimulating place of joyful new experiences.
In 1977, Nan married
Russell Hollister, whom she had known since their Antioch years, when brother Ted and Russ had been roommates. The wedding took place in the North Tisbury house, then occupied by Ted and his wife, Sally Marr Cox.
Nancy and her husband have been sojourning members of the Martha's Vineyard Friends Meeting from its inception. This spiritual connection and its supportive fellowship have been central in their lives.
Nancy's parents and her brothers predeceased her. Her husband, Russell Hollister of Santa Barbara, survives her. Her niece, Nancy Cox, lives in Chilmark. She leaves many more nieces and nephews living throughout the country. She will be warmly remembered as a most perceptive, courageous and loving friend - an inspiration to all who knew her.
The Santa Barbara Friends Meeting will hold a memorial service for Nancy on Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Barry E. Correllus, 46
Was Loving Husband and Father
Barry E. Correllus, a Vineyarder by birth and frequent visitor with many Island ties, died unexpectedly at his home in Zanesville, Ohio, on Oct. 21. He was 46 years old and a devoted husband and father.
Barry spent his summers on the Island with his maternal grandparents Antone and Gertrude Veira, of Tony's Market, and his paternal grandparents Hilda and Manuel Correllus. When his father retired from the Air Force, he brought his family home on the Island.
Barry graduated from Martha's Vineyard Regional High School in 1974. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served his country for seven and a half years.
Barry was known to his family and friends for his quick wit and humorous anecdotes. His high jinks and sense of adventure often landed his unsuspecting passengers, just out for a gallon of milk at the local grocery store, on the highways that led to Woods Hole and the next ferry home.
He was employed by Northside Pharmaceuticals in Zanesville.
He is survived by his wife, Molly, and their children, Mrs. Pamela Baughman, Anthony Correllus and Joshua Correllus, all of Zanesville; a grandson, Tyler Baughman of Zanesville; his parents, William and Geraldine Correllus, of Oak Bluffs; his brothers, Cmdr. William Correllus, of Chantilly, Va., and Robert Correllus of Fitchburg; his sisters, Patti Leighton, of Oak Bluffs, Barbara Leonard, of Vineyard Haven, and Brenda Goodwin, of East Falmouth, as well as ten nieces and nephews.
His memorial mass will be celebrated at Our Lady Star of the Sea church in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. Burial of his remains will follow at Sacred Heart cemetery in Oak Bluffs. Contributions may be made in his memory to an Island charity of one's choice. Local arrangements were made by Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
Cheryl Ann Dowd, 49
Was Artist in Ceramics
Cheryl Ann Dowd died on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at her home in Oak Bluffs after a long battle with breast cancer. She was born on May 27, 1952 in Randolph, the daughter of the late Charles H. and the late Mabelle Leight (Hershfeld) Saunders. She has lived on the Island since 1974.
She was a graduate of Randolph High School and the Peabody School for Girls. Throughout her life she had many interests and for many years she worked for parent groups and nonprofit organizations. She was a third-generation ceramicist, operating her studio and classroom from her home in Oak Bluffs for 25 years. Her trademark "grape collection" of giftware has been seen all over the world.
She was a great lover of theatre arts and loved to travel, sometimes with large groups of her Island friends. Her home has been the gathering place for many wonderful occasions throughout her life, and her friends are invited there to a celebration of her life after the memorial service.
She is survived by her husband, Gerard P. Dowd of Oak Bluffs; her two sons, James Patrick Dowd of Boston and Michael Ryan Dowd of Edgartown; her daughter, Carolyn Mae Dowd of Oak Bluffs, and her brother, Charles Harold Saunders of Plymouth.
A memorial service will be held in the Trinity Methodist Church on the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18.
