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Bernice Wells Orcutt, 73
Was a Registered Nurse
Bernice Wells Orcutt of Edgartown died Sunday, Jan. 19, at her home after a long illness. She was 73.
She was born on Nov. 27, 1929 to the late Lemont W. and Bertha (Chorlton) Wells of Edgartown. She was a 1947 graduate of the Edgartown High School and was graduated from St. Luke's Nursing School in New Bedford as a registered nurse.
She was married
to Noel C. Orcutt on July 4, 1951. After residing in New Bedford for the next 10 years, they returned to Edgartown to raise their family. Mrs. Orcutt worked as a nurse for the Martha's Vineyard Hospital for 27 years. Upon her retirement she went to work for many years at Fligors in Edgartown until her illness. She will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend.
In addition to her husband of 52 years, she is survived by her three sons, Gregory of West Tisbury, Andrew of Delmar, N.Y., and Peter of Birmingham, Ala., and five grandchildren. She was the predeceased by her son, Stephen.
A private funeral service will be held at a later date. Donations in Bernice's memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Service of Martha's Vineyard Community Services, P.O. Box 369, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, or St. Andrew's Church, South Summer street, Edgartown, MA 02539. Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
Henry W. Diggs, 96
Was Devoted to Civic Work
Henry W. Diggs, 96, a lifelong resident of Norwood who loved spending time on Martha's Vineyard, died unexpectedly on Jan. 15 at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital.
The third son of the late Charles T. and Sara E. Grandison Diggs, he was married
to the late Irma U. Thompson Diggs.
A devoted, long-term and avid participant in town government, Mr. Diggs served as the eldest locally elected black official in the commonwealth when he was a member and chairman of the Norwood school committee. After serving in Norwood, he was elected to the Blue Hill Regional High School Committee, helping with the design of the school. He also served on the building committees of several elementary schools in Norwood.
Mr. Diggs was a longstanding member of the United Church of Norwood, the Norwood Fair Housing Committee, the HESCO elder services board, the Rotary Club and Elks Lodge #1124. He was the longest-running member of the Norwood town meeting, serving since its inception. He also served as a library trustee and on the Norwood High School Educational Foundation board. He was a member of the Neponset Valley Tufts Club and served as a radio repairman for the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II.
Mr. Diggs was a faithful visitor to Norwood nursing homes and a lusty tenor voice when the Elks and Rotarians sang to the residents. He enjoyed traveling, especially to visit his daughter in Washington, D.C., and his grandchildren in California. He was a Sea Scout leader, an avid ham radio operator and, in his retirement, an accomplished cabinetmaker and woodworker. His wry sense of humor and quiet dignity endeared him to everyone he met.
A proud printing pressman by trade, he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Upon graduation from Norwood High in 1924, he was employed by the Norwood Press. In subsequent years he worked at the Wellesley Press and Codex Book Co. He also attended Wentworth Institute. Mr. Diggs was honored for mentoring technology education students by his induction into the Fitchburg State College Chapter of Epsilon Pi Tau, the national academic honor society for industrial technology.
Growing up with three siblings and four first cousins of the Alfred Tanneyhill family of Norwood, Mr. Diggs and his relatives were the first African-Americans to settle in Norwood. He spent his entire life in the family home, the last few years in part due to the kind caregiving efforts of his friends, John Travers and Terry Chase.
He is survived by two daughters, Judith E. Potter of Brookline and Washington, D.C., and Dr. Jacqueline C. Diggs of Framingham and Oak Bluffs; two granddaughter, Wende Potter Williams and Kimberly Potter Moore of Los Angeles, Calif.; four great-grandsons; a brother, Charles; a brother in law, Philip Thompson, and several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of his life was held at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the United Church in Norwood.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, P.O. Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, or to the Norwood High School Scholarship Foundation, c/o Norwood High School, Nichols street, Norwood, MA 02062.
Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
Dr. James Hubert
Served as Physician in Harlem
Dr. James William Hubert of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., and Aquinnah died Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003, at the age of 84.
He was born on March 11, 1918, to James Henry and Mary Bentley Hubert in New York city. He attended Jamaica High School in Queens, and was graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., in 1939 and from Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tenn., in 1943.
He was a lifelong summer resident of Aquinnah, having been introduced to the Island by his father, who first came in 1914 and taught school in Aquinnah. As a youth in the 1930s he worked as a counselor at his father's day camp, Camp Aquinnah, located on the family property, where he honed his abilities as a sailor, swimmer and fisherman. During his adult years he was a regular and perennial cup winner in the Menemsha Pond sailboat races. He sailed as crew during the 1960s for Franklin Roosevelt Jr. aboard his New York 32, Half Moon, in the annual Edgartown Regatta.
Dr. Hubert served his country in World War II as a United States Army medical officer, with the rank of captain upon his discharge in 1946. He returned to New York from overseas duty and established his medical practice in Harlem. During the course of his more than 45 years as a practicing physician in Harlem, he served on the staffs of Harlem Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital in upper Manhattan, and as adjunct faculty to Columbia University Medical School.
Dr. Hubert was an avid sailor, fisherman, swimmer and skier. He was well known and respected on the Island as a competitor - frequently a winner - in the summer races on Chilmark Pond. He was affiliated with numerous civic and fraternal organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the 100 Black Men of New York, the Rotary Club of Upper Manhattan and the United States Power Squadron. When he was on the Vineyard, he frequently dropped in on Rotary Club meetings here. He attended the Community Church at the Circle in Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 55 years, Hermantide Jones Hubert, whom he married
on July 26, 1947; his two children, Jamie Janice Hubert and James William Hubert Jr.; his daughter in law, Jody Queen-Hubert; two grandchildren, Jonathan and Andrea Hubert; a brother, Benjamin Hubert, and his niece, Sheryl Brooks-Scott, who resides on the Island year-round.
Services in celebration of his life were held at the Community Church at the Circle (United Church of Christ) in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. on Jan. 11. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Morehouse College for the James W. Hubert, M.D., Endowed Scholarship Fund, Attn: Institutional Advancement, Morehouse College, 830 Westview Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30314.
Herbert Hancock
Herbert R. Hancock, selectman, lobsterman, builder and artist, died at home Thursday morning, April 26, after a short, brave battle with cancer. He was 71.
Mr. Hancock was born Sept. 15, 1929, in Oak Bluffs, and lived in Vineyard Haven. He was the son of the late Hariph Clayton Hancock and Marion B. Hancock, also of Vineyard Haven. He attended Tisbury School from first to twelfth grade. He then went on to Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he studied to be a builder. When he returned home to the Island, he married
his childhood sweetheart, Jean Flanders, in October 1949.
Also in 1949 he went to work for his father, and then went into business for himself. He built his first house for himself and Jean when he was 19 years old, and he has been in Chilmark ever since. They had two children, Deborah and Jessica, who died in 1973. Herb and Jean had 33 wonderful years together. Jean died of cancer in 1981.
First elected on May 20, 1964 to serve in the then combined roles of selectman, assessor and member of the board of public welfare, Herb anchored Chilmark as it evolved from a mostly poor, tightly knit fishing and farming community to a town of million-dollar houses.
Herb did numerous things for Chilmark. He and then fellow selectman Lew King wrote the zoning laws and got them started. Chilmark implemented zoning regulations a district at a time. Herb made certain that the first district included his family's ancestral farm in the area of Chilmark known as Quenames, "instead of picking on someone else first."
On the board of health, he wrote the first rules: 150 feet from pond or brook. Herb also helped to establish the Martha's Vineyard Commission. He was instrumental in getting Gov. Francis Sargent to write legislation, and he convinced all the selectmen of the Island to vote for it before the towns did.
Herb, working with Lew King and Leslie Flanders, was responsible for setting up Lucy Vincent Beach, which he got for the town for nothing. And he limited the number of houses that could be built there from twenty to four.
Herb protected the Chilmark harbor for commercial fishing and saved and created a lot of dock space for townspeople, making sure that there was enough transient space left to generate $200,000 a year in revenue for the town. He helped set up rules for the harbor so that it will stay that way.
Herb was on the Island action committee to stop Sen. Edward M. (Ted)Kennedy from turning the Island into a national park, and he persuaded all the Island selectmen to back it. He went alone to Washington, D.C. and testified before the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, then returned with David Flanders successfully to urge a Nixon veto.
Herb built the Chilmark Community Center and kept the tennis courts there. He designed two additions to the fire station for free. He also designed the original Menemsha bathhouse (and the new one) for free.
He said of his favorite accomplishment, the youth lot program, that he "wanted to do something so that the kids could get a chance to live up here where they grew up, but couldn't afford it."
Most recently he led the successful fight to maintain the Coast Guard facility in Menemsha under Chilmark's control. Herb built at least 300 houses in Chilmark, and about 30 in other towns, and many houses for himself while most of us were sleeping. Despite a record of incumbency that most politicians would envy, Herb was no politician. Throughout 13 terms, he had a reputation for speaking his mind, briefly and to the point, standing his ground even when it meant resisting pressure from friends and neighbors if he thought something was best for Chilmark. Herb never wavered from his reluctance to impose new regulations or to spend tax dollars he thought would be unduly burdensome on property owners. When he died, Chilmarkers could take satisfaction in a property tax rate of $1.96 per $1,000 — the lowest among the Island's six towns.
With a twinkle in his eye, he didn't say much, but he was always thinking. He was a very kind, thoughtful, caring man who was always there to listen, think and then give advice.
He was most interested in the development of young people. One time his grandson Mark, then age 8, was visiting and Herb decided to teach Mark how to lobster. Herb gave him five pots, took him up in the pond and taught him to bait and set the pots. Three days later they returned and pulled the pots. Herb gave Mark the going rate for the lobsters. Mark made a lot of money that summer while learning lasting lessons about working, lobstering and fun.
For the last 15 years, Herb could be seen in his beloved lobster boat, the Billie H., which was named for his second sweetheart, Billie Gibbons of Oak Bluffs, whom he married
Nov. 13, 1982. They have had 19 very special years together. Half of Billie went with him.
He is survived by his wife, Billie, daughter Deborah, stepdaughter Buffy Knight, stepsons Tyke Knight and Steve Knight and Steve's wife, Sherry, Alan Porter, Gil Carroll, six step-grandchildren, Joshua, Stacy, Tara Knight, Mark and Corey Knight and Courtney Wilkerson, his mother-in-law Helen C. Gibbons, all of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and his two sisters, Ruth Gilmour, of Weyland, and Marjorie Philips of Virginia, and many other relatives and many, many friends.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Chilmark Library for the Jessica Hancock Fund or the Chilmark Community Church for the new Sunday School building.
Herb's one liners, like "finest kind" and "that's the spirit," will be missed. And he will miss his coffee ice cream.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 29, at Abel's Hill cemetery in Chilmark. Immediately following, there will be a gathering to celebrate Herb's life at the Chilmark Community Center. The family would appreciate everyone bringing a dish to share.
Mary Henkel Kelly
A memorial service for Mary Henkel Kelly at 10 a.m. will be held on Saturday, August 3, in the Trinity United Methodist Church, Oak Bluffs, officiated by the Rev. Mary Jane O'Connor-Robb.
Doris B. Daniels
Doris Billings (Dabbie) Daniels, 73, died peacefully in her sleep at home in Vineyard Haven on Sunday, August 4, following a brief illness. She was the wife of George G. (Gus) Daniels and the mother of Katherine B. Daniels. Service arrangements were pending at the Gazette went to press.
Carola Scott Luckens
Carola Lyon Scott Luckens, a former resident of West Tisbury, died on April 9 at her home in Durley, near Southampton, in England, after a long illness, surrounded by her husband and three sons. She was 55. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 19, at 11:30 a.m. at the Durley Parish Church. Arrangements are being handled by R.C. Payne, Southampton.
Benjamin H. Lovell
Benjamin Hallett Lovell, 60, of West Tisbury died on Saturday, May 18 at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. Donations in his memory may be made to Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, P.O. Box 494, Vineyard Haven MA 02568.
There will be a service of remembrance for family and friends on the Vineyard in June.
Deolinda Prada Loved Her Edgartown Home
Deolinda (Del) Mello Prada died peacefully on May 28 at Windemere Nursing Home. Del loved the home where she lived for 65 years on Clevelandtown Road in Edgartown. She loved people, family, helping others, all God's creatures, flowers and trees. She had a special love for cats. Del loved to cook and bake, and always had a fresh cake or pie ready for company. She worked at home, later for Conors Market, Madeiros Electric and the Kelly House, during the filming of Jaws.
Her pleasant smile and happy outlook will be missed by all who knew her.
She is survived by her children, Raymond Prada Jr. of Bryant Pond, Me., and Judith Prada Counsell of West Tisbury; three grandchildren, Alden Prada of Maine, Sharon Amaral of Edgartown and Pamela Amaral of Oak Bluffs, and two sisters, Gen Prada of Edgartown and Pal Spencer of Newport, R.I. She was predeceased by her brother, John Mello.
A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, at the Old Westside cemetery in Edgartown.
James G. Farrell, 87
Was Veteran of World War II
James G. Farrell, 87, of Oak Bluffs, died Friday, Jan. 24, at the Hyannis Skilled Care Nursing Home in Hyannis.
He was the husband of the late Grace P. Carroll and the son of the late James H. Farrell and the late Ella Beard. He was born on Feb. 6, 1915 in Dorchester as one of three children; his brother, John Farrell, and his sister, Ruth Paul, have predeceased him.
Mr. Farrell lived in Dorchester and worked for the New England Telephone Company in the Braintree office for 35 years, retiring in 1980. After his retirement, he volunteered driving patients to hospital treatments and driving for the mentally handicapped. He finally fully retired as a security guard from the Quincy Mini-mall.
He had summered on the Island since the 1920s and owned a summer home on Samoset avenue in Oak Bluffs for 40 years; since 2000 he had been living on Summit avenue as a permanent resident.
Mr. Farrell was an Army veteran of World War II and a member of the American Legion of Hyde Park, Boston.
Surviving him are three daughters, Janice Rose and Barbara Bruck, both of Oak Bluffs, and Patricia Jones of Chicopee; two sons, John Farrell of Vineyard Haven and Joseph McDonald of Quincy; 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, and a longtime companion, Pauline McDonald of Oak Bluffs.
He was the father of Richard Farrell, Robert Farrell, Peter Farrell, Arlene McKay and Grace Farrell, all of whom have predeceased him.
His Funeral Mass was celebrated in Our Lady, Star of the Sea Church in Oak Bluffs at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Interment was in Sacred Heart cemetery, Oak Bluffs with military honors provided by the Veterans of Martha's Vineyard. Visiting hours were in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs on Monday evening. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
John Jay Angevin
Was Man of Warmth and Wit
John Jay Angevin, 77, died Oct. 30 at the Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick, after a brief illness. An Island summer resident since childhood, he had retired to Edgartown where he built a house overlooking Ox Pond Meadow and Nantucket Sound — a view which delighted him every day.
A former ad man turned minister, he will be remembered for his quick wit, warmth and his concern for others. In his later years, he was a familiar sight navigating Edgartown's streets with hiking sticks to steady his 6'7" frame.
He was born in Boston, the son of summer residents, Ferris and Marion Angevin, and spent his childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Asheville School in North Carolina and from Williams College. During World War II, he was an ambulance driver in Burma with the American Field Service. After Williams, Mr. Angevin attended Union Theological Seminary in New York city but left before receiving his master's of divinity to teach English and History at Mt. Herman School in Northfield.
In 1951, he married
Stella Brown (now Kenly), another lifelong summer resident and his sister Sylvia's best friend. They moved to Buffalo, N. Y. where he worked briefly as a reporter for the Buffalo Evening News before embarking on a 20-year career in advertising and marketing. He started at BBDO and Rumrill-Hoyt in Buffalo and continued at Tatham-Laird and Kudner, among others, in Chicago, where he and his family settled in Lake Forest. Despite the move, every summer they continued to bring their four children to the Vineyard. In 1972, he was divorced and returned to Union Seminary to complete his studies. His career as a Presbyterian minister touched many communities, ranging from a halfway house in the Bronx and the Christian Century magazine to Camp Jabberwocky and 10 churches in Vermont, Ohio, New York and Massachusetts where he served as interim minister. His broad social ministry included a deep commitment to world peace that led to his arrest at CIA headquarters and his participation in the Vineyard Peace Council.
An accomplished photographer, he delivered slide presentations to various groups to help people cope with the stresses caused by advertising and other societal forces. He will also be remembered for his love of children; his favorite part of every sermon was his "words to the children."
In spite of his multiple careers, his family was what really mattered. As he wrote for his 50th college reunion: "What might interest my classmates? Maybe that I took the roads less traveled and none of them has made any difference. My four children have. I learned this true and sure when one child died."
John is survived by his sister, Sylvia Angevin Thompson of Geneva, Ill. and Edgartown; his former wife, Stella Brown Kenly, of Lake Forest, Ill.; his daughters, Jody Angevin of Dedham and Susan Angevin of Cambridge; his son, Robert Angevin of Chicago; his grandson, Garrett Harper of Dedham; his nephew and nieces, Peter Rentschler, Sarah Rentschler, Mary Rentschler Alley, Phoebe R. Cole, and Alexandra Thompson, and his six grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Andrea L. Angevin, and his son, John J. Angevin Jr.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in St. Andrew's Church, Edgartown. Private burial will be at Abel's Hill cemetery in Chilmark. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, of which Mr. Angevin's parents were founding members (P.O. Box 319X, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568); or the Heifer Project, an international anti-hunger organization, at 1015 Louisiana street, Little Rock, AR 72202.
Manuel Figueiredo, 86
Was Air Corps Veteran
Manuel Soares Figueiredo, 86, of Vineyard Haven died peacefully at Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility in Oak Bluffs on Jan. 27, surrounded by his daughters and Windemere staff. Manny, as he was better known, was born to Jose Soares Figueiredo and Rosa Medeiros Figueiredo on the State Road family farm on June 1, 1917. He attended Tisbury Elementary and Tisbury High School and worked at the old Coca-Cola Bottling Company in his youth.
On Sept. 28, 1942, at the age of 25, Manny was inducted into the United States Army Air Corps and served his country during World War II. He was stationed around the country at various aircraft training schools. After completing this training he was sent on to Seattle, Wash., to the Boeing Flying Fortress School for the service and maintenance of Boeing heavy bombardment aircraft (B-29 Bombers). During the air offensive on Japan he was stationed on Saipan with the 879th Bombardment Squadron as a technical sergeant in charge of an aircraft maintenance crew of 30 men. It was his wing group that went in first and began to bomb Tokyo following the historic Doolittle Raid. During this time, Manny flew many pre-bombing missions with the flight crews to insure the mechanical and electrical stability of the aircraft. He was also a waist gunner on B-29's and flew mercy missions over China to drop food, clothing and medical supplies to POW's confined in Japanese prison camps.
Manny was awarded three battle stars/campaign ribbons for the Western Pacific, the Eastern Mandated Islands and the Air Offensive of Japan. He also received a Good Conduct Medal and a Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 24, 1945. His service to his country remained a source of honor and pride his whole life long.
Mr. Figueiredo's military training in mechanical and electrical systems served him well. He was known as one of the best marine mechanics on the Vineyard in his day. He often worked at Burt's Boatyard and did a stint teaching small engine repair at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. To his family, it seemed there wasn't anything he couldn't fix. A fond family memory recalls that he helped to design and build an internal combustion chamber out of a Bremner Wafer can for one of his daughter's science projects.
On Nov. 29, 1947 he married
Eileen Ruth McLaughlin of Edgartown, daughter of the late Captain E.C. McLaughlin and Hannah Broadbridge McLaughlin of Edgartown, and together they raised three daughters.
In 1955 Manny and his brother Bill purchased the Corner Service Station on Beach Road, the present site of Tisbury Texaco, and operated a Mobil station for many years. Later they also bought the building located at 82 Main street in Vineyard Haven that is the present day Le Grenier and opened a Western Auto store. Being expert mechanics, they expanded the service to include on-the-spot installation of many of the auto parts and accessories they sold in the store. During his lifetime he worked for other Island business such as Whiting's Milk and R.M. Packer as well.
Manny served the Island community for many years as a Tisbury water commissioner, a Tisbury volunteer fireman, and a Boy Scout leader. He belonged to the American Legion Post #257 and the former Vineyard Haven benevolent and charitable association, the Improved Order of Red Men.
What will be remembered most about Manny was his agile wit and ready humor. He trod even the darkest road in life with a lightness that only someone of his humor and perspective could manage. He maintained an active and curious interest in world events and history and was never so pleased as when the History Channel made its debut. He was a proud patriot and supported his country in bad times as well as good. As with most extraordinary people, his personality was ageless. He related to children and young people as easily as he did adults.
As with many of the older Portuguese on Martha's Vineyard, his passing is a reminder that time has passed on the Vineyard as well. Family photographs are windows to the past depicting a by-gone era when the State Road area was one of open fields and woods and the small Figueiredo family farm was a part of the landscape. Images include day trips to Gay Head, horseback riding in Chilmark, opening scallops beside a weathered clapboard barn, chicken coops, orchards and fields planted with vegetables and potatoes. Close friends and family lived just across a State Road bordered by grassy shoulders instead of curbed sidewalks.
Manny is the last of his generation of Figueiredos. He was predeceased by his brothers and sisters, Joseph and Edward Figueiredo, Mary Conway, Helen Correa and George Figueiredo. He is survived by his former spouse, Eileen R. McLaughlin of Oak Bluffs, and by his daughters and their husbands, Janet E. Scatton Berry and the Rev. Barton Berry of Bedford, Pa., Patricia E. Reed and Alan S.W. Reed of Nantucket and Diane R. Figueiredo of Oak Bluffs. He is survived also by three grandchildren, Barry and Darian Scatton and Elizabeth Reed.
Funeral services were held at St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Vineyard Haven at 11 a.m. on Feb. 1, with interment at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility in Manny's memory.
