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Anthony K. Van Riper
Was Teacher, Veteran
Anthony K. Van Riper, a longtime Vineyard visitor and resident, died at his Vineyard Haven home on June 26. He was 74.
Mr. Van Riper's life was intertwined with that of the Vineyard for seven decades. The only child of Charles King and Helen Dorothy (Ordway) Van Riper, he first came to the Island as a summer visitor in 1933. His family later moved to Vineyard Haven year-round, when his father opened the Van Riper ship model shop on Beach Road. After attending preparatory school in New Hampshire, serving in the Pacific during World War II and earning a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Arizona, Mr. Van Riper moved to the Island full time in the mid-1950s. He left in 1957 to pursue a master's degree and a teaching career in Boston but returned for every summer and most school vacations. He retired to the Vineyard with his beloved wife Jan in the summer of 1981, and, though they traveled widely together, they always considered the Island their home.
Teaching was the heart of Mr. Van Riper's professional life. He taught grades seven, eight and nine at the Tisbury School, and later courses in English literature and composition at Emerson College, Newton Junior College and The Nathan Mayhew Seminars. He also loved to teach informally, as a youth baseball coach, a Boy Scout leader and an adult sailing instructor.
A fluid and versatile writer, Mr. Van Riper published newspaper stories, magazine articles, short stories and poems. Many of the latter were collected in Velvet Tides (1964) and Widow's Walk (1991). He delighted friends and family with his ability to produce clever, fitting poems for special occasions. He also loved the stage and served as writer, director or performer in amateur productions ranging from the Calamities of 1947 musical revue to Island Theatre Workshop's 1991 production of The Madwoman of Chaillot.
Mr. Van Riper was a Renaissance man, and his interests reflected it. He was an accomplished sailor of both one-design and cruising boats, especially his emerald green Vineyard Fifteen, Tyche. He served the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club for 25 years in a variety of offices, including that of commodore from 1979 to 1981. He was a dedicated golfer and bridge player and a skilled amateur pianist who often performed 1930s and forties standards at parties. After retirement, he immersed himself in the study of prehistoric archaeology, local history and genealogy -- interests that made him, for 20 years, a leading member of the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society. He traveled throughout Europe and North America and -- when at home on the shores of Vineyard Haven Harbor -- enjoyed books, music and the company of his family.
He is survived by two sons from his first marriage, Charles K. Van Riper II and Christopher G. Van Riper. He also is survived by his wife of 41 years, Janice Patricia (Riley) Van Riper; his son, Anthony Bowdoin Van Riper; his step-grandson, Josef Mundt, and his granddaughter Katharine Van Riper. He lives on in their memories and in the memories of countless friends on and off-Island.
A memorial service for Mr. Van Riper will be held at 11 a.m. on July 11 at the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury. His ashes will be scattered on Vineyard Sound. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society, Box 827, Edgartown, MA 02539.
Dr. Abraham Buchberg
Was Teacher, Physician
Abraham S. Buchberg, M.D., 82, died on May 25 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fla., after a long battle with renal disease. He and his wife, Vera, lived in Ardsley, N.Y., before retiring to Waterside Retirement Estates in Sarasota in 1998. They were longtime summer visitors to the Vineyard, spending vacations with Hannah and Moses Malkin at their home on Lighthouse Road in Gay Head. Vera Buchberg is Hannah's sister and the two families have always been close. Dr. and Mrs. Buchberg had owned property on Lighthouse Road for a number of years, contemplating building a house, but because of the complications of his health, the Malkin home became the family's summer residence.
Dr. Buchberg enjoyed the Vineyard and had many friends here. Over the past several summers, he was well cared for by the dialysis unit at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital and The Lift service of the Martha's Vineyard Regional Transit Authority.
Dr. Buchberg, known as Abe, was graduated from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and served as a captain in the Army Medical Corps in Japan after World War II. He was a dedicated senior attending physician and teacher in the division of pulmonary medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York for more than five decades. He served as medical director of the division from 1965 to 1972. He was one of a select group of clinical professors of medicine at Montefiore and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During his half-century at Montefiore, he shared his gifts of teaching and caring for patients with countless medical students, residents, fellows and attending physicians. He was known for his clinical acumen, deep wisdom, courtesy, compassion and generosity.
Dr. Buchberg was a lover of travel, good books, music and particularly Italian opera. He and Vera had been patrons of the Metropolitan Opera Company and enjoyed the performances of the Sarasota Opera Company as well as the summer concerts of the Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Karl Buchberg of New York city; his daughter, Dr. Lisa Buchberg, and her husband, Dr. Ralph Kaywin, of Berkeley, Calif., and their daughters, Emma and Nora; his twin sister, Irene Siegel of Boca Raton, Fla., and his sister in law and brother in law, Hannah and Moses Malkin.
A memorial service was held at Waterside Retirement Estates on May 29 with Rabbi Barbara Aiello of Temple Beth El of Bradenton, Fla., officiating. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Lift, P.O. Box 5099, Edgartown, MA 02539.
Dr. Charles Claydon
Was Resident Island Surgeon
Dr. Charles T. Claydon, a well-known general surgeon who lived and practiced medicine on the Vineyard for more than 30 years, died on March 28 in Dover, N.H., after a brief illness. He was 66.
Dr. Claydon came to the Vineyard in 1967, the first resident surgeon on the Island during the days when the hospital was still a cottage version of today's busy hospital.
"I half applied and they half found me," he said in an interview in the Gazette some months after his arrival.
He was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y. on April 25, 1935, the son of the late Frank J. and Ethel Wynne Claydon. He graduated from Iona preparatory school in New Rochelle, N.Y., and matriculated at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, where he graduated in 1956. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University.
His residency included work in Atlanta and at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. It was there that Dr. Claydon fell in love with New England, especially its ruggedly beautiful coastline.
In the winter of 1967 he learned that the trustees at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital were looking for a surgeon. He flew to the Vineyard for an interview and took the job.
For the next 30 years he practiced medicine on the Vineyard. His work covered the range of general surgery - he did appendectomies, hernia repairs and also caesarean sections in the days before there was a resident obstetrician on the Vineyard.
"I am sort of an impatient person. I like things to happen immediately, and in surgery they do," he said in an interview with the Vineyard Gazette in 1998 on the occasion of his retirement and his departure from the Vineyard.
In 1969 he founded the Harvard Medical Student program on the Island, which was responsible for training scores of young medical students.
Dr. Claydon was actively involved in hospital affairs over the years, as well as community affairs. He was a devout Roman Catholic and was a member of St. Elizabeth's Church in Edgartown. He sang in the choir, sailed and played some tennis. But like so many dedicated doctors, his work was the center of his life, and he touched hundreds of people on the Vineyard who were his patients.
Four years ago he sold his handsome home on Cooke street in Edgartown and moved to Rye, N.H. He also took up a new vocation, enrolling in the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge.
He is survived by his sister, Ethel Claydon Dunn, of Edina, Minn., several nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two brothers, Frank J. Claydon Jr. and David A. Claydon.
A funeral mass was held on April 2 at St. Ursula's Roman Catholic Church in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Interment was at the Gate of Heaven cemetery in Valhalla, N.Y.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Elizabeth's Church, P.O. Box 156, Edgartown, MA 02539.
James H. Kelley, Age 69
Was Corporate Attorney
James H. Kelley of Edgartown died Sunday, April 28, at his home after a long bout with cancer. It was his 69th birthday.
Mr. Kelley was born in Cambridge and grew up in Watertown. He was a rare "Triple Eagle," having attended Boston High School and graduating in 1950, then Boston College (graduating in 1954) and Boston College Law School Class of 1957.
In 1957, Mr. Kelley and his wife, the former Margaret Vincent of Newton and Edgartown, and his infant daughter moved to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Kelley worked for the Federal Trade Commission. In 1960, Mr. Kelley went to work for the Washington law firm of Bergson, Borkland, Margolis and Alder. The firm specialized in anti-trust work. Mr. Kelley was managing partner in 1987.
In 1990, Mr. Kelley achieved a life-long goal and moved full-time to Edgartown, where he ran his own law firm providing advice to companies too small to retain on-staff lawyers.
Mr. Kelley was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association and the Dukes County Bar Association.
He is survived by his wife and six children, Kathleen Polesovsky of Lakewood, Colo., Anne Howard, Margaux Kelley-Portillo, Elizabeth Kelley and John Kelley, all of Silver Spring, Md., and Robert Kelley of Guam; three sisters, Elaine Tocci of Watertown and Yarmouth, Joanne K. Arsenault of Winchester and Kathleen Lockyer of Watertown; four brothers, Richard D. Kelley of Potomac, Md., John J. Kelley of Acton, Edward C. Kelley of Attleboro, and William G. Kelley of Georgetown. In addition to many nieces and nephews, Mr. Kelley also has 11 grandchildren, ranging in age from five to 16 years.
A funeral mass was celebrated at noon on Wednesday, May 1, at St. Elizabeth's Church in Edgartown. Interment followed in the Old Westside cemetery, Edgartown. Visiting hours in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs were from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30. Donations may be made payable to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and mailed to Contribution Service Office, 10 Brookline Place West, Brookline, MA 02445.
Nelson Hibbard, 77
Was Veteran of World War II
Nelson R. (Sam) Hibbard, 77, of Springfield died on Tuesday, April 30, at his home. Born on Dec. 28, 1924 in Springfield, he was a lifelong resident of the area and a 1942 graduate of Tech High School. He was a longtime summer resident of Oak Bluffs.
He served in the United States Army during World War II and was graduated from Northeastern University in 1952. He retired in 1987 from Rexnord after 33 years working in quality control and as a manager of new product development. He was the inventor of a chain for the Rex Chain Belt Co. that is still used today.
Mr. Hibbard was a member of the Elks Lodge #61 and the Inventors Club of America.
His wife, Frances L. Carson Hibbard, died on May 20, 2001. He is survived by two sons, Michael N. of Atlanta, Ga., and Thomas F. of Middletown, Conn.; two daughters, Christine H. Giannakopoulos of East Longmeadow and Kathleen Hibbard-Lott of Wyandotte, Mich.; eight grandchildren, Jeannine and Kerri Hibbard, Elias, Nelson and Stephanie Giannakopoulos, Rachel and Emily Lott and Austin Hibbard.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 4, from the Forastiere Smith Funeral Home of East Longmeadow, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass in St. Paul's Church. Interment will follow in Hillcrest Park cemetery. Calling hours at the Forastiere Smith Funeral Home are today from 4 to 8 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the Elks Lodge #61, 440 Tiffany street, Springfield, MA 01108.
Olive H. Lawrence, 94
Was Active as Volunteer
Olive H. Lawrence of Needham died on Friday, May 10, at North Hill Skilled Nursing Facility. She was 94.
Born in Elizabeth, N.J., she was the daughter of Oliver and Ella Houston. She was a Needham resident for 57 years and a summer resident of Oak Bluffs since 1926.
Mrs. Lawrence attended public schools in Elizabeth and worked in the Union County, N.J., court system. She was the wife of Dr. Knowles B. Lawrence, who died shortly after her on Friday, May 10.
Mrs. Lawrence was active all her life as a community volunteer with many organizations, including the Visiting Nurse Association, Norfolk County Tuberculosis Association, the American Cancer Society, Needham Adult and Continuing Education, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Glover Hospital Aid Association. An avid reader, she belonged to Great Books and the Brandeis Women book clubs.
She is survived by her children, Judge Paul Lawrence and his wife, Jane, of Francetown, N.H.; Evelyne Lawrence of Louisville, Ky., and Susan Lawrence of Albany, N.Y.; her grandchildren, Damara Jenkins, Ira and Michael Van Irvin and Jessica and Duncan Lawrence; three great-grandchildren, and her nephew, Michael Houston.
She was the sister of the late Lewis Houston.
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 Needham Public Library, Permanent Donations Fund, 1139 Highland avenue Needham, MA 02494.
Francis Oliver, 49
Loved Family, Friends, Fishing
Francis J. (Sparky) Oliver Jr., 49, of Sylvan avenue in Vineyard Haven, died on April 5 at Martha's Vineyard Hospital. He had struggled with cancer for the past year and died surrounded by family members. Francis was the husband of Katherine (Streeter) Oliver, whom he married
on May 12, 2001.
Born in Oak Bluffs on March 13, 1953, he was the son of the late Francis J. Oliver Sr. and Veronica (Mulrery) Oliver. He was graduated from Martha's Vineyard High School in 1972.
He worked for the Tisbury department of public works for the last 12 years. Before that, he was employed at various times by Olsen Brothers, IFP, Coca-Cola, Rogers Septic Systems, Hinckley's State Road, Vineyard Builders Supply, Corner Service Station and Bailey's Bike Shop.
He will be remembered by all who knew him as witty and kind-hearted. He had an endless love for his family, friends and fishing.
In addition to his longtime partner and wife, he leaves two sons, Thomas and Francis 3rd of Vineyard Haven; two daughters, Killian and Noel Oliver of Mashpee; a brother, Ronnie Swift, and his wife, Cathy, of Denver, Colo.; numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters in law and friends. He was the brother of the late Thomas Joseph Swift.
A graveside service will be held Saturday, April 20, at 10:30 a.m. at the Oak Grove cemetery in Vineyard Haven. A potluck celebration of life service will immediately follow at the VFW Hall on Towanticut avenue in Oak Bluffs.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Sparky Oliver Fund, c/o Martha's Vineyard Cooperative Bank, P.O. Box 668, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home in North Attleboro.
Margaret (Peg) Valenti
Was Oak Bluffs Native
Margaret (Peg) Valenti of Oak Bluffs died peacefully Monday, April 15, at the Windemere Nursing Facility. She was 88. She was the wife of the late James S. Valenti, who predeceased her in 1964.
Margaret was born in Oak Bluffs on Nov. 16, 1913, the daughter of the late John D. Ferreira and Mary Duarte Sylvia.
Margaret enjoyed a simple life centered on her home and family. She not only enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow up on the Island but also the privilege of getting to know her great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughter, Patricia A. Hughes of West Tisbury; three grandchildren, Phillip Hughes and his wife, Jill, of Auburn, N.H., Kelley Hughes of Evanston, Ill., and Dana Hughes of Oak Bluffs; two great-grandchildren, Phillip Hughes 4th and Morgan Elizabeth Hughes; one brother, John D. Ferreira Jr. of Oak Bluffs, and many nephews and nieces.
During her last year of life she had many special caregivers whose friendships enriched her life; among them were Sue Barton, Gloria deBettencourt, Ann Alwardt and neighbors Jack and Jane Little.
The family will receive friends in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs on Friday, April 19, at 10 a.m. Her funeral mass will follow at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Star of the Sea Church, Oak Bluffs. Interment will take place in the Sacred Heart cemetery, Oak Bluffs followed by a celebration of Margaret's life at her home, 100 County Road, Oak Bluffs; all are welcome. Donations may be made in her memory to the Vineyard Nursing Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
Thomasine H. Blackmer
Was Woman of Courage
Thomasine Henderson Blackmer died peacefully in her sleep on April 6 at home in West Tisbury. A longtime Sarasota, Fla., resident, she moved to Martha's Vineyard five years ago to be closer to her family.
Born at home Dec. 15, 1915, in Canton, N.C., the daughter of Thomas and Leona Fincher Henderson, she and her tiny twin sister, Josephine, were placed in dresser drawers and a homemade incubator was fashioned by placing heated bricks around the babies.
The Hendersons were prominent citizens of western North Carolina. Her grandfather, William Henry Drayton Henderson, served in the state legislature and owned the largest farm in the county.
Before World War II, as a young woman, she moved to Nashville, Tenn., where she met and married
Richmond Pearson Blackmer. The family, which now included daughters Brent and Sydney, moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., where they lived until the mid-1960s. Tommy then lived in Sarasota, where she spent many happy years in her cottage on the bay.
When she moved to Martha's Vineyard she made her home with her daughter Brent Taylor in West Tisbury, but spent part of each winter with her daughter Sydney Blackmer and son in law Doug Amann at their home in Venice, Calif.
She possessed remarkable courage, intelligence and good humor, and, best of all, she was fun. A lifelong Democrat, she loved political issues and was an avid reader. Up until the end she read at least one daily newspaper and relished conversing on current events. She had an innate sense of design, an eye for color and enjoyed creating a beautiful home. She also adored pretty clothes and shoes.
When her twin great-granddaughters were born, she was especially delighted that they were girls because it would be so much fun to buy clothes for them. Their sixth birthday celebration, held at Brent's house the weekend before she died, was her last party and she loved it. She said it was the best party she had ever given. She will be missed.
She was predeceased by her twin sister, Josephine (1915); her husband, Richmond Pearson Blackmer (1966); her brother, Neil Fincher Henderson (1998); her son in law, Alexander Taylor (1993), and her nephew, Beaumont Blackmer (1976).
She is survived by her daughters and son in law; by grandson James Taylor and his wife, Natasha, and by her two great-granddaughters, Paige and Claudia, all of Vineyard Haven. She is also survived by her cousin, Margaret Henderson Mitchell of Boynton Beach, Fla.; niece Susan McMahon and her husband, John, and grand-nephew and grand-niece Matt and Jenny McMahon, all of Oak Ridge, Tenn., and by her beloved 15-year-old cat, Mr. Peanut Butter, of West Tisbury.
After a memorial celebration at her daughter's home, she will be interred at the West Tisbury cemetery.
John B. Mendez, 90
Was Resident of New Bedford
John B. Mendez, 90, of New Bedford died on Tuesday, May 7, at the Kristen Beth Nursing Home in New Bedford. He was the widower of Bertha Isaacs Mendez.
Born in New Bedford, he was the son of the late Florencio J. and Rosalie Britto Mendez. He was a former porter for the Martha's Vineyard Nantucket Steamship. He was a musician for many years with the Cape Verdean Players Band.
He is survived by three daughters, Joan Daniels of Boston and Rose and Bertha Mendez, both of New Bedford; three sons, Florencio Mendez Jr. of Oak Bluffs, Richard Mendez of New Bedford and Herbert Mendez of Stoughton; 16 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, during visiting hours at the Perry Funeral Home on 111 Dartmouth street in New Bedford.
