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Lena Rehfuss Costa, 78
Was High School Teacher
Lena Rehfuss Costa, 78, died on Oct. 19 after a short illness.
She was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and at the age of two weeks came to Lynn with her parents. She attended Breed Junior High and Lynn Classical High School and was graduated from Salem Teacher's College.
Her first teaching assignment was on Martha's Vineyard. She taught at Tisbury High School, at Edgartown High School and at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. She spent the last four years of her career as an assistant principal. She loved teaching, the Island and her many friends here.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, George; two children, Lorna Dreher of Manchester, N.H., and John Costa of West Tisbury, and a grandchild, Heidi Dreher of Belmont.
Memorial services will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to Hospice of Naples, Fla., or to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard.
Howard L. Wey, 103
Was Frequent Island Visitor
Howard L. Wey, a frequent visitor to his brother, Capt. George L. Wey of East Chop, died on July 3 at Kettering Memorial Hospital in Kettering, Ohio at the age of 103.
Mr. Wey was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1897 and was raised in Bristol, Conn. He was the oldest of six children born to William L. Wey and Eva (Stecher) Wey. He attended Bristol High School and was an honor student and athlete. He later was graduated from Lehigh University, where he was a star football player and also was on the lacrosse team. His degree was in civil engineering. Early in his career, he worked as a mining engineer in Kentucky and West Virginia. Later, he was with the U.S. Corps of Engineers and was employed for many years as a civil engineer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Howard was preceded in death by his wife, Minta (Rader) Wey. He is survived by his children, James of Kettering, Ohio; Eva Henry of Apple Creek, Ohio, and Patricia Harrison of San Diego, Calif. Also surviving are 11 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; five great-great grandchildren; a brother, George L. Wey of Oak Bluffs, and a sister, Lillian L. Allen of Trumbull, Conn. Funeral services were held in the Routsong Funeral Home, Kettering, Ohio, and interment was in the David's cemetery, also in Kettering.
Nathalie Runyon Seltman
Was a Needlepoint Artist
Nathalie Runyon Seltman died at the age of 78 at Prince William Hospital in Manassas, Va., on Oct. 11. She was predeceased by her husband, Arthur John Seltman, in February 2001.
She was born in Newport, R.I., the daughter of Paul M. and Frances McIver Runyon, who were lifelong summer residents of the Vineyard. She was also the granddaughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mefford Runyon, who bought their first summer home in Edgartown in 1896.
Mrs. Seltman attended Finch College in New York and served in the WACS during World War II. She later studied at the University of Stockholm and the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, where she met her husband. The Seltmans lived in England before coming to the United States in 1968.
Mr. and Mrs. Seltman were co-owners of Ancient Coins, a coin shop in Virginia, from 1976 to 1988. Mrs. Seltman was gifted in the art of needlepoint. Several of her works, which included upholstered furniture, were exhibited at shows in the Washington area, including the Woodlawn Plantation.
Mrs. Seltman is survived by her son, Charles P. Seltman; a daughter, Isabel Frances Seltman; two grandchildren, Timothy Seltman and Stephanie Seltman, and a sister, Mary Runyon Obaidy, all of Manassas, Va. Her sister, Bunny Runyon Cameron, predeceased her in 1990.
Ida Nix, 99
Was Active In Church, Community
Ida A. Nix of Philadelphia died on Nov. 7 after 99 years of productive life on this earth. She was born on June 10, 1902, to Ambrose and Elemander Burcher in Hamilton, Bermuda, British West Indies. Ida was the second of three children, sister to Edwin (an older brother) and Ivy (a younger sister), who preceded her in death.
She was brought to the United States by her mother and father when she was three years old. They settled in the Bronx, New York, where she received her public school education. She continued her education in Normal School and became an accomplished seamstress.
While in New York, she met and married
her husband of almost 30 years, the Rev. Andrew W. Nix Sr., who was then pastoring the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. To this union, five children were born: Andrew W. Jr., Theophilus, Genester, Elwood and Verolga. The Rev. Mr. Nix served as pastor in various churches including Chicago and Maywood, Ill.; Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pa.
In every church where her husband pastored, Mrs. Nix played the piano and sang in the church choir. She was a competent organizer, who kept busy working for the church and kept everyone else busy with her. She was actually the backbone of the success of Mr. Nix during his pastorates.
She joined the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Holmesburg, Philadelphia, Pa., when her husband became pastor there in 1940. Because the church was heavily in debt, she began to help in fund-raising activities to liquidate the mortgage. Much of her time was also given to helping the youth of the community, work she continued to do until her health prevented her from being active. She is responsible for many young people furthering their education in college. She organized the first scholarship committee in Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
Mrs. Nix led in organizing the Junior Church in Mt. Zion, which involved young people in every aspect of church life. She produced and directed plays and cantatas every summer, and each year she presented her special play, A Dream of Fairyland. Sewing and crafts were considered necessary skills, and Mrs. Nix taught these arts to the youth.
She felt it was her mission to help everyone. When she heard that there were families in Mississippi who needed clothing, she sent many boxes to the poor and needy there as well as to Africa and to Native Americans on reservations. She also heard that Native Americans were trying to establish a school, so she approached many schools and libraries for discarded books and on many occasions spent her own money to ship the books.
During World War II, she got the community together and sent boxes and letters to cheer the men in the armed forces who were members of the church and community.
Until the death of her husband, Ida stayed home to care for her children. She then became employed as a correctional officer for 24 years. She took a personal interest in many of the female inmates, organizing a sewing class and teaching many the skills of sewing, crocheting and embroidery. There were some who left the institution and did not return because they had a skill they could use in community life.
She became aware that Mt. Zion Church needed air conditioning, so she organized a committee and raised money to make it comfortable to worship in the summer. She was chairman of the 89th church anniversary and put together a 90th anniversary church history book. She initiated the Birthmonth Clubs of the church as well as the annual Lord's Supper.
She was booking agent for the Intermezzo Choir for many years and was the recipient of hundreds of honors and awards from the community and various churches. She held membership in the NAACP, Minister's Wives Union of Philadelphia and Vicinity and various other organizations.
Mrs. Nix was proud of her family and their accomplishments, and always taught them that there was only one standard, and that was excellence. She leaves to cherish her life on this earth three sons, Andrew, Theophilus and Elwood; two daughters, Genester and Verolga; three daughters in law, Dorothy, Lulu Mae and Sharon; 19 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter; two nephews and one niece; her caregiver, Ann Selden; the boys, Curtis and Punchey, and a host of other relatives and friends. Let us not mourn, but let us rejoice because her work speaks for itself in the manifestations of the life she lived.
Funeral services were held on Nov. 15 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Andrew W. Nix Scholarship Fund, care of Theophilus Nix, P.O. Box 3059, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Elizabeth Rossiter, 78
Was Edgartown Summer Visitor
Elizabeth Rossiter, known to all as Betty, died at home on Oct. 22 after a courageous fight against lung cancer. She was born on March 31, 1923 in Laurel, Md. She was the daughter of the late John and Mary Bartholow of Laurel.
She was the loving wife of Ehrick Gordon (Rusty) Rossiter whom she married
on Sept. 13, 1947 in Baltimore, Md. They had 54 wonderful years together. The bulk of those years were spent in Summitt, N.J. and recently in Easton, Md.
She is survived by her husband Gordon, her daughters Patti Ravenscroft of Washington, D.C. and Polly White of Severna Park, Md., and her brother John Bartholow of Tiburon, Cal. She leaves behind five grandchildren, Christopher and Julia Ravenscroft, and Eric, Jeffrey, and Katie White.
Betty attended the University of South Carolina but left during the Second World War to work for the office of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. There she drew maps and charts, some of which were used in the Normandy invasion. She also taught art at the Calvert School in Baltimore, Md.
Betty and her husband Rusty have been summer and fall residents of Edgartown for 45 years. She loved the Vineyard and all it had to offer. She loved to play golf, garden, paint, antique, and to spend time with her many friends. She owned Linden Tree Antiques in Edgartown in the late 1970's. She was active in the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club and especially enjoyed arranging flowers for the houses on the annual Edgartown house tours. She was also a member of the Edgartown Golf Club. She was fortunate to spend one last week on the Vineyard this past September and take lasting memories of an Island summer.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, Oct. 29 at St. Phillips Episcopal Parish in Laurel, Md., her childhood parish. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Talbot Hospice Foundation, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD 21601.
Sandy Harris
Sandy Harris, 42, died on May 26 at her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. She is survived by her mother, Kay Silverman, and her father, Thomas A. Harris, both of Palm Beach, Fla. She is also survived by her sisters, Jann Greenberg, Karin Smith and Cynthia Harris, and her brother Tom Harris. A memorial service will be held in Gloucester at the end of July.
Jean Gatchell, 70, Was Beauty Parlor Operator
Jean G. Griswold Gatchell, formerly of Oak Bluffs, died on April 26 at the Pine Knoll Nursing Center in Stoneham.
Jean was born June 15, 1931, in Middleborough to the late Charles F. Griswold and Madeline Frost. She moved to Oak Bluffs when she was only seven years old, after her parents divorced. She lived with her grandmother, aunt and uncle, graduating from Dean College with a certificate in cosmetology. Her uncle, Richard Frost, built her a beauty shop in the back of the family house lot.
She was the operator of Jean's Beauty Shop until 1997, when she moved to Bear Hill Nursing Center in Stoneham, where she joined her late husband, Philip Gatchell, who had been confined there three months earlier. She moved to Pine Knoll Nursing Center in 2000 after the death of her husband; they had been married
for more than 25 years. During the years of their marriage, they traveled widely in the United States and in Europe. She was also a member of the Eastern Star.
She was the stepmother of Philip L. Gatchell Jr. and his wife, Sandie, of Woburn and Robert Gatchell and his wife, Lynn, of Oak Bluffs. She is also survived by four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, three half-brothers and two half-sisters.
A funeral service was held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Oak Bluffs. Interment was at the Oak Grove cemetery in Oak Bluffs.
Donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen street, Framingham, MA 01701.
Arrangements are by the Douglass Funeral Home in Lexington.
Peg Knowles, 92
Was Artist, Traveler, Friend
Margaret Ogden Rankin Knowles, 92, died in her sleep at her home in Edgartown on April 12, after a day during which she voted, drove to the library and the post office, talked with friends and worked on a paper about medieval tapestries. When she spoke on the phone with a daughter that week, she sounded happier than she had ever been.
Peg was born March 13, 1910 in Newark, N.J. She first came to Martha's Vineyard in 1917, at a time when girls over 12 were obligated to wear black stockings to swim. As a child she played kick the can on Tower Hill and rowed over to the bathing beach at Chappaquidick. During college she and her friends rented rooms near where they sneaked past Emily Post's house with bakery goods hidden on their persons, against Mrs. Post's dictum that "Ladies do not carry packages." One of Peg's first jobs was as a shepherdess on Pease's Point Way; she diverted sheep from that well-trafficked road to South Beach.
Brought up by an attorney father and aristocratic socialite mother, John and Mary Rankin of South Orange, N.J., Peg was the middle child between brother Langdon and sister Polly. From an early age she was immersed in the arts - concerts, plays, museums and poetry. Her favorite poem was Shakespeare's 29th sonnet. She walked four miles a day to and from school before going on to Smith College and the New York School of Social Work. As a medical social worker during World War II she was posted on a Red Cross hospital ship that sat in Guam harbor on the day the Japanese surrendered.
In 1949, she married
Dr. George Milton Knowles, a widower with two children from Hackensack, N.J. Peg and George had two daughters; once, when asked what her favorite job was, she said it was raising her children. She was thrilled to be a wife and mother. Peg served on the board of trustees of the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, N.J., for 25 years and also for a time as the school librarian. There she held an annual book fair and built up the library by inviting each child to donate a book to the school.
In 1963, Peg bought her house in Edgartown and lived there at least part of every year for almost 40 years. She loved sailing, gardening and walking in places like Felix Neck and Squibnocket. She was famous for her beach picnics and for swimming in the rain, often the only one in the water.
Always ready for adventure, Peg traveled to Japan, China, Okinawa, New Zealand, Kenya, Tanzania, the Bahamas, Mexico and extensively throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. She climbed the Grand Teton in 1938 as the only woman in a team with seven men and returned to Wyoming in 1999 to raft the Snake River and to enjoy a reunion with her children and grandchildren.
She took watercolor painting classes from Maine to Florida, and at age 86 she held her first professional art show at the Sculpin Gallery in Edgartown. In that and subsequent annual shows she sold most of her paintings because, as she said with an impish grin, "I'm small and I'm cheap."
In her spare time, Peg played bells in several handbell choirs, volunteered at the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society, helped to develop her family's museum - Cherry Hill, in Albany, N.Y. - planned college reunions, and prepared papers and teas for her beloved Want to Know Club.
Peg is survived by her sister Polly Byrne of Hartford, Conn.; her sister in law, Frances Rankin of Chester, Conn.; her daughters, Maggie Knowles of Missoula, Mont., and Alison Eckels of Seattle, Wash.; her step-children, Jack Knowles of Alexandria, Va., and Elizabeth Jones of Cincinnati, Ohio, and their respective spouses, Tom Eckels, Frances Knowles, and Linn Jones; her grandchildren, Mimi, John, Doug, Ron, Ken, Julia, Lydia and Andrew; her great-grandchildren, Jamie, Emily, John, David, Isabelle, and Teddy, and many other cousins and relatives. She was also cherished and beloved by many many friends throughout her long life.
A memorial service will be held at the Federated Church in Edgartown on Friday, May 17, at 2 p.m., followed by a reception at the church. Donations may be made in her name to the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society and the Sheriff's Meadow.
Jerome Alden Tilton
Was Painter, Outdoorsman
Jerome Alden (Jerry) Tilton of West Tisbury died on Saturday, May 18, at the age of 58.
He was born in Oak Bluffs on Dec. 18, 1943 to Herbert Tilton and Roselina Pine, and was a life-long resident of the Vineyard. He was an Army veteran and served during the Vietnam era.
He and his wife, Linda Rose, raised their children together over a period of 30 years.
Jerry made most everything he did look effortless and is a legend in his own right. Not only was he a quality painter for 38 years, he was a commercial fisherman, avid archer and hunter. He was a master of everything he did.
He was a father and a mentor to more than just his children. He affected the life of everyone he met and was a worthy friend to all. His sparkling eyes, warm smile and wisdom will be remembered and missed by many.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his five sons, Jerry Jr. of Vineyard Haven, Danny of Edgartown, Zeb and Zachary of West Tisbury and Jeremy of Brockton; five daughters, Jocelin and Jayma of Santa Fe, N.Mex., Courtney of Brockton, Ashley of Vineyard Haven and Tabitha Emerald of Sandwich; a brother, Herbert Tilton of Edgartown; a sister, Shirley Viera of Fairhaven; three grandchildren, Rebecca Tilton of Oak Bluffs, Olivia Emerald of Sandwich and Sebastian Macchioni of Santa Fe, N.Mex., and six nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at the Tashmoo Overlook off State Road in Vineyard Haven at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 24, officiated by the Rev. Kenneth Campbell. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to an education trust fund set up for his family at the Dukes County Savings Bank. Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
Mae T. Bonitto, 85
Was Dancer and Art Collector
Mae Theresa (nee Buzzelle) Bonitto, 85, died on March 18 at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge after a lengthy illness.
Mrs. Bonitto was born in Cambridge and educated in its public schools. In her pre-teens, she was Cambridge's champion drummer. As a dancer during the Great Depression in the 1930s, she traveled the United States and Canada with the Jimmie Lunceford Band. She worked in Boston theatres and clubs before her marriage in 1937 to Frank Bonitto of Roxbury.
In later years, Mrs. Bonitto held several positions with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, retiring early from a head administrative position with the Department of Public Works. Early retirement enabled her to devote time and energy to civic associations such as the Heritage Club, and to research into her family's genealogy.
The Boston Globe, in a front-page series of articles, recently featured her well-documented genealogical findings on her maternal great-grandfather, six generations removed, Barzillai Lew, a soldier in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Information about Mrs. Bonitto's family was provided to Franklin A. Dorman for his book, Twenty Families of Color in Massachusetts, and to Gail Lumet Buckley (daughter of Lena Horne) for her book, American Patriots. Before her death, Mrs. Bonitto was offered a membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The other great passions for Mrs. Bonitto were collecting the works of important local African American artists and hosting family and friends at the Quonset hut on Martha's Vineyard which she and her husband have owned since 1947.
The beloved wife of Frank L.G. Bonitto, an artist and collector, they shared a loving and supportive partnership that spanned more than 65 years. She was "aunt" to many nieces and nephews by blood, marriage and friendship. Full of energy, lovely conversation and laughter, Aunt Mae always found time to teach a new young friend an old jazz dance step.
Memorial services were held on Saturday, June 2, at 1 p.m. at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Cambridge.
Donations in her memory may be sent to the St. Bartholomew's Capital Fund, 237 Harvard street, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Edward Warsyk Jr., 79
Was Veteran, Engineer
Edward Anthony Warsyk Jr. died on Monday, April 22, after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was courageous to the end. During the 30 years that he lived on the Vineyard, many Islanders sought his help in the many areas of his expertise.
Mr. Warsyk was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 28, 1923. He survived his parents, Edward and Helen Warshyk, and his three sisters, Geraldine Wise, Connie Schou and Lynn Jansen, all of Florida. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and later worked in the research lab of the Sperry Corporation, which is where his passion for engineering began.
He met his future wife, Barbara Nelson, on August 3, 1941 after he and his cousin showed up unexpectedly at a mutual friend's house and quickly put out a small fire burning from under the dashboard. They then drove in the Ford convertible, from Brooklyn to Massapequa for ice cream. They fell in love and were married
18 months later. They shared their 59th anniversary on Feb. 21. The couple has three children, Jacqueline Parnell of South Setauket N.Y., Jeraldine Upson of Rehoboth and Christine Scott of Vineyard Haven, and seven grandchildren.
Ed was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, and served as an infantryman in the European Theatre of Operations with the 83rd Division. He saw action from the closing phases of the Battle of the Bulge through Central Rhineland, to the end of the war, when his regiment was one of the first to link up with the Russian Army at the Elbe River. Until his discharge in 1946 he served as an Army photographer in Austria documenting the war's aftermath.
His career was long and varied, from being plant manager to owning several engineering companies on Long Island, the first being EMCO (Electro Mechanical Components), which during the Korean War was busy with subcontracting government jobs and the design and manufacture of complex instruments such as angle-of-attack indicators and vertical altimeters for airplanes and special air conditioning systems for fighter planes. Another of Mr. Warsyk's companies was Space Components. He especially liked the design and prototype work. Among other instruments, he designed and produced small gyroscopes and inertial guidance systems for the U.S. space program and an apparatus to assist surgeons performing skin grafts.
He was always generating inventions; he had a side business that sold telescoping outriggers of his design that could be articulated through two 180-degree planes.
After the sale of his last company in which he was involved in the early development of the first automatic lathes and drill presses, Ed and his wife, Barbara, left Long Island for Martha's Vineyard in 1970. He moved with ease into the next phase of his career, building two custom homes, distinct in their style. They were warm and woody, and Ed built the fireplaces with fieldstone and brick by hand.
He then scaled down his construction work and a started another small business building customized dental cabinetry. His woodworking abilities were recognized by many Islanders who wanted his special touch and unique style for their homes. All of his work was met with tolerances of a micrometer. He was also employed by R.M. Packer Company in Vineyard Haven, where he worked on various engineering and building projects.
Boating was his pastime; it is actually how he and Barbara first came to love Martha's Vineyard, vacationing for many summers at the Coastwise Wharf. In his lifetime, Ed proudly owned five separate boats. His favorite was a custom-built 47-foot Wheeler which they named Solitaire. His latest was an easily identified 21-foot Boston Whaler in the Vineyard Haven harbor called the Snafu, which he customized to look like a miniature sport fishing boat, complete with a tuna tower and dual controls. He designed and built all of the added bridgework, pulpit, console and electronics. He could be spotted fishing for bluefish in Middle Ground most summer days. This boat was docked in the Lagoon just outside his boathouse home on Beach Rd where he and his wife lived for 28 years.
Ed Warsyk's shop on the first floor of the boathouse was a busy place. He was a walking encyclopedia of information; his expertise with engineering, metal, and his woodworking skills were shared with the many friends and clients who sought his help. It was no surprise to anybody who knew Ed that he could restore or repair anything with generosity and perfection.
His ability to tell a story was renowned and will long be remembered by the regulars at the Black Dog Tavern, where he entertained the regulars for more than 25 years during every breakfast and lunch. He was a familiar face sitting at the table by the fire. A bronze plaque of a BLT sandwich and coffee mug hangs on the wall next to his table. It honors a flawless attendance record and patriarchal duties as well.
His family and friend's will miss seeing Ed driving his 1973 Land Rover, wearing his habitual Ray-Bans and navy blue cap.
Surviving him are his wife, Barbara; his family, Jacqueline and Buddy Parnell, Jeraldine and Dickinson Upson and Christine and Bruce Scott; and grandchildren Karen Parnell, Brad Parnell, David Parnell and Sarah Parnell, Katlin Upson and Brooke Upson and Benjamin Scott.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on May 25 at the boathouse on Beach Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice, Windemere or Martha's Vineyard Community Services Inc.
