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Jacquelyne Manning
Who Demonstrated Value of Leadership for Four Generations
Mrs. Jacquelyne D. Manning died Sunday, Oct. 5 at Windemere, surrounded by the presence and love of four generations.
She was born March 9, 1923 in Salisbury, N.C., daughter of Cecil B. Noble and Lena J. (Spratt), a descendant of the Cherokee Tribe. Her family moved to White Plains, N.Y. in 1935, where her father was a jeweler and her mother a private duty nurse.
Jackie, as she was known by all, graduated from White Plains High School in 1941 and Renouard School of Embalming School in Manhattan in 1943. In 1974 she returned to college at Pace University to study business and community development.
She had studied classical piano from age five. Having majored in music, she was offered a full scholarship to Boston Conservatory of Music. And she had spent the past three years once again studying piano under the tutelage of Charles Blank, not only at the Up-Island Council on Aging but also at Windemere; this brought great joy to her in recent years. She had studied French for four years and Spanish for two, and her appreciation of languages and music remained with her always.
During World War II, she worked at Sonotone in White Plains, making ear device components for the Air Force pilots.
During the summers of 1942 through 1945 she vacationed on the Vineyard with friends, and thus began her affiliation with members of the Wampanoag Tribe and with the Island, a devotion that spanned six decades. In June 1946 she married
James W. Manning, son of Capt. Walter W. Manning and his wife Ada, moving to the Vineyard year-round.
Jackie invested her time well while residing for a decade at what was then Gay Head. She was tax collector for the town from 1951 to 1956, president of the Aquinnah Club, and co-leader of her daughters' Brownie Troop. She taught Sunday School and was a member of the choir at Community Baptist Church of Gay Head, where she was baptized in 1951. She also participated in, made regalia for, and narrated the pageant The Legend of Moshup, performed on the Cliffs. She received a commendation for her volunteer work for the Heart Fund.
It was through her efforts, after she had convinced Gay Head selectmen, that women were allowed to go scalloping with the men, and they were issued permits from then on. She learned to mend fishing nets, open scallops, filet fish, and steer a boat by compass. She spent her summers at the Gay Head Diner with the Grieder family and with the Hornblower family at Squibnocket. She was responsible for organizing Cranberry Day activities and the picnic lunch that followed.
Through her efforts and those of her fellow members of the Aquinnah Club, electricity was brought to Gay Head in February, 1951; it was the last town in the commonwealth to be electrified.
Jackie was strong and determined, a trait she instilled in her children, along with the values of serving church, Tribe and community.
In 1956, Jackie and her Vineyard-born daughters - June, Judith and Jyl - drove across country on the old Route 66 and settled in Hollywood, Calif. There they resided for more than a year before returning to the family home in Pleasantville, N.Y.
In Hollywood, Jackie worked as a photographer and at Package Wrapping Unlimited, where she wrapped unusual gifts in the most beautiful manner; at Christmastime for the next four years she was flown back to Hollywood to prepare packages.
Back in Pleasantville, she worked as a supervisor at Reader's Digest, a school crossing guard, a private duty nurse, and at several children's homes. She worked weekends and vacations at the Manning family restaurant in Gay Head from 1962 through 1974.
In May 1997 she retired as a senior milieu counselor from Pleasantville Cottage School, a residential treatment center, where she had worked for the Jewish Child Care Association of New York for nearly 30 years in child care, as well as an assistant and substitute teacher in the Mount Pleasant School. She was loved and well-respected in her field, admired by not only hundreds of students whose lives she touched and counseled over years, but by the staff at the Cottage School as well.
Upon retirement, she moved to the Poconos, spending her winters in Aquinnah. In winter 1999, too ill to live alone, she remained on the Vineyard, and willingly tagged along with daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to family, Tribal and church gatherings; to meet President Clinton in August 2000; to dinner parties on Chappy with Marion Harding; shopping trips; pow wows; the fair; the weekly Aquinnah flea market, and many other celebrations. She enjoyed the Up-Island Council on Aging for her writing group and for her piano lessons, luncheon and Scrabble.
Jackie enjoyed traveling, whether cruising the St. Lawrence or on family cruises to the Caribbean. She often visited with her daughter Judith and husband Barry during their three-year stay in Caracas, and at their home in Toronto over the past 20 years. She traveled to the Milavsky family home in Vancouver often, as well as winter trips to West Palm Beach with the Rose family.
Besides travels and music, her pastimes included needlepoint, knitting, reading, oil painting and shopping.
She had spent the past year as a resident of Windemere Nursing in Oak Bluffs, where she was cared for lovingly by staff and enjoyed the friendship of residents and their families, and remarked on the community spirit she felt while a patient there. Her kitten Kate would often visit her at Windemere.
Jacquelyne is survived and eternally loved by her daughters June D. Manning of Aquinnah, Judith C. (Manning) Milavsky and her husband Barry of Toronto, and Jyl D. Manning of Tisbury; her brother, Conrad Noble, and his wife Dolores of Pleasantville; and sister June C. D. Noble of North Hollywood. Her grandchildren are Paul G. Manning of Aquinnah; Sharon A. Spiller of Mesa, Ariz.; Robert W. C. Manning of Tisbury, and Alexander J. Milavsky of Toronto. Her great-grandchildren include Christina M. Millman of Las Vegas, Christopher P. Roper and Kayla V. Roper of Aquinnah and Marianne L. Spiller of Mesa. And she was delighted to have met her seven-month old great-great-grandson, James I. Millman.
Her beloved extended family includes niece Linda (Toland) Hobbs, husband Joseph and their children Jason, Lauren, and Chelsea of Buchanan, N.Y.; niece Elena (Noble) Scarfone and husband Sal of Raleigh, N.C.; nephew Oliver Noble of Brooklyn, N.Y.; brother in law Ivan Toland of San Diego and sister in law Elfreida Noble of Mount Kisco. Also, her dear friend and confidante Helen (Vanderhoop) Manning-Murray, stepmother to her daughters, and her former son in law Albert Rose of Oak Bluffs, as well as her friends and associates at Pleasantville Cottage School, who kept in touch.
She was predeceased by her former husband, James W. Manning; by her father Cecil and her mother Lena; her brothers Cecil Jr. and Gregory; her sister Joyce (Noble) Toland, and her nephew, Thomas Toland.
Jackie lived a long, full, enriched, illustrious life, filled with joy and love of family; and she has left them with a wonderful legacy. She was a special lady to all.
Donations in her memory may be sent to the following entities who nurtured her in recent years: Community Baptist Church of Gay Head, Box 151, Aquinnah, MA 02535; the Up-Island Council on Aging, State Road, West Tisbury, MA 02575; Windemere Residents Council, Hospital Road, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557; the Visiting Nurse Service, 111 Edgartown Road, Tisbury MA, 02568. Jackie received her strength, encouragement and will to live in the face of chronic illness through the efforts of these services.
A visitation will held on Monday, Oct. 13, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Chapman Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, 56 Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. A service will immediately follow at 3:30 p.m. with Rev. Roger H. Spinney officiating. A memorial service will be planned at Community Baptist Church at a later date.
Grace F. Upson
Enjoyed Her Chilmark Summers
Grace Fisher Upson, a summer resident of Abel's Hill in Chilmark for more than 45 years, died on Friday, Sept. 12, at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Conn.
A longtime member of the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, she enjoyed fishing, clamming, beach picnics and entertaining. A terrific tennis player at the age of 80, she could still intimidate opponents with a smattering of "Gracie Shots" from the net.
She is fondly remembered for organizing expeditions around the Island from Gay Head to Chappy, giving hitchhikers a ride and some free advice along the way.
She was an entertaining hostess, and Island residents and guests have everlasting memories of parties at "Upson Dunes."
She is survived by three sons, Terry, Tim and Dick, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Waterbury, Conn.
Thomas Preston Gregory
Little Man with Little Dog
Thomas Preston Gregory died, following a brief illness, at the Falmouth Hospital. He was 83. Mr. Gregory lived in Bermuda, Falmouth and Chilmark.
He was the son of the late George Newton Gregory and Emma (Rice) Gregory and husband of the late Mary Katherine Newman Gregory. He was educated at the Foxwood School of Kingsport, Long Island, N.Y. His interests were many and varied. As a youth he delighted in piloting his seaplane about, often landing in a friend's backyard. Mr. Gregory also enjoyed boating, collecting vintage cars, traveling and collecting unusual things. A true New Englander, he was always sure there was a second use for everything.
Mr. Gregory loved animals, especially his little miniature wire haired dachshund, Cozy. For the past fourteen years, Cozy was his constant and devoted companion. They were known here and abroad as "the little old man and his little brown dog." Cozy predeceased him by two months. Mr. Gregory will be missed by his family and many friends. Burial will be private. A memorial gathering will be held on the Cape in June, 2004.
He is survived by two sons, Thomas Newton Gregory and Kevin Watt Gregory; daughter in law Jane Taylor Gregory; and grandchildren Rebecca Sarah Gregory and James Taylor Gregory, all of Bermuda.
Hamilton Benz, 93
Island Character
Hamilton Benz of Tisbury died Oct. 10 at his daughter's home in Chilmark.
Benzie, as he was known, was a brutally honest and good man of eccentric character known in Tisbury to break out in song (or with a surprising comment of sorts) while enjoying his walks through town. A man of high intelligence, he struggled through life vacillating between decisions that he should be either in the music or literary field. He was a master of dialect and was most familiar with the more roguish nuances of French, German and Italian.
Born in Haledon, N.J. in 1910, Mr. Benz was the son of George and Daisy Benz: George an organist of fame and Daisy a choir soloist and music teacher. In 1919 he attended the Choir School of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York city. He became renowned as one of the finest boy soloists in the nation with a voice of remarkable quality and range. He was graduated with honors in 1925 and received a scholarship to Trinity School.
In 1932 his French teacher at Trinity brought him to the Island for a summer vacation where he met Goodie Prior, a well-known portrait artist and musician of Tisbury. They married
in 1938 and lived in New York until they moved to Tisbury in 1941.
The following is the foreward in Mr. Benz's biography:
"Two years short of my 80th birthday, I find it difficult to explain why I pursued so many varied careers in search of fame and fortune. Both eluded me, I suspect because of an overblown ego - that and impatience, the inability to stay on one course and see it to full development. Blessed with talents in music, writing and the stage, I shifted from one to the other while waiting for recognition from critics that would lift me to the rank of stardom. Stardom never came.
"I began as a boy soprano. ‘A voice of exceptional beauty' was a phrase I heard many times. My future was decided; I would become a professional singer. Unfortunately, when my voice changed it lost many of the boyhood qualities . . . . A few appearances on the concert stage convinced me that my future didn't lie in that medium.
"I turned to theater, trying my hand at Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and musical comedies. Success was hardly my reward in these ventures. My schooling had made me fairly proficient in foreign languages, so I turned to opera. Over a period of four years I performed secondary roles with the City Center in New York and the Philadelphia Opera. Press reviews never gave mention of my voice but on many occasions I received plaudits for my acting, particularly in comic roles.
" ‘A born actor' was a phrase I heard often, which tempted me to try the legitimate theater. I played a few roles in summer stock. Learning from my colleagues how difficult it was to earn a living in that field, I returned to opera as a stage director with companies across the country. This provided a fairly steady income, enough at least to support my wife and two children. Many of these standard operas were performed in English. The texts, inordinately poor ‘translations' (as one critic defined them), prompted me to write translations of my own. Three were accepted for publication by G. Schirmer Inc., which led to a contract with Columbia Films and a year's work in Rome as co-producer of new versions of La Traviata and La Boheme.
"In the former, I played the small role of Verdi, which was so successful I thought seriously of becoming a film actor, but my producer, Gregor Rabinoqith, wouldn't hear of it. ‘You are born to write,' he said, ‘Stay with writing.' Accepting his dictum as infallible, in my spare time I wrote my first short story, mailed it to Esquire Magazine, and it was accepted. Subsequently, four more stories were published, along with some articles. At this point in time - the late 1940s - television plays were in vogue and when I returned from Italy, I set to work as a playwright. Over three years, 13 of my plays were performed, which convinced me that I had at last found my true calling. But shortly, with production costs rising excessively, sponsors pulled out and turned to soap operas, which ended my connections with television."
"Over the next few years, I tried my hand at full-length plays. None was accepted, and with my savings wiped out, I turned to job hunting. Music being my first love, I became a salesman selling time for a radio station in Boston broadcasting classical music programs. In time I became an independent producer and soon had three contracts with regional corporations which netted me a fine income. Ironically, at the end of ‘65, all three sponsors canceled and I was again out of work."
"An old friend, headmaster of a private school in Colorado, had been after me for years to head his music department. Now I had no recourse but to accept. Toward the end of that eight-year stint, I happened to meet with a radio producer, one of whose clients was a bank. He insisted on my recording a demo tape; the client accepted me as their narrator, and I found a new vocation. Fed up with teaching and now approaching my 65th birthday, I returned east to my home base, tied in with an agent in Boston and soon acquired contracts for recording in television and radio, supplying me with a decent living.
"So fame and fortune eluded me, but at this age I have no regrets. My life as a widower is a lonely one, but I have a son and daughter, both married
, and three grandchildren. I still have my health and a home of my own. Should I ask for more? Yes."
Mr. Benz toured Germany in a musical when he was with the U.S.O. In the summer of 1946 he worked as actor and assistant producer with the Martha's Vineyard Summer Theater. Here on the Vineyard many remember him as director of the Martha's Vineyard Chorus, Vineyard Sinfonietta in the early 1960s and organist and choir director at Grace Episcopal Church, two doors down from his house.
He was very proud to have been a member of the Union Chapel quartet in Oak Bluffs as bass, first in 1938 and again in 1969 and every summer until 1996.
He and his wife spent many hours entertaining at their home with music gaily blaring from the house on William street from Sinfonietta's rehearsals or the two of them playing dueling duets on their back-to-back grand pianos. Their house was filled with laughter, music and unforgettable family get-togethers.
Benzie loved playing pool, cards, golf, chess and was a master with the trivia of baseball. He knew his Bible well and recited his favorite poems often to his family and friends. He read Ulysses every June. Every morning he sang his German arias for exactly one half hour, did 25 sit-ups to the age of 86 and then he was off to town. He had a way of leaving his family members awestruck, and he has so again, as they recollect his long and fascinating life.
Mr. Benz leaves two children, Larry Benz and his wife Ellen Shade of Bronxville, New York; Merrily Fenner and her husband Frank of Chilmark; three grandchildren: Blair Benz of New York, Alicia Knight and her husband Peter of Chilmark and Keith Fenner and his wife Amanda of Tisbury; and two great grand-children, Olivia and Adam Knight. Special thanks from the family to the community individuals who were so kind to him in so many ways during his last, more difficult years in the town.
His funeral service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church on Williams street in Tisbury with the Reverends Donnel O'Flynn and Alden Besse officiating. Burial will immediately follow in the Oak Grove cemetery inTisbury.
Memorial donations may be made to Vineyard Nurse Services of Community Services, P.O. Box 369, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568; or to Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
George A. Eyer, 89
Was Candidate for Congress
George A. Eyer Jr. died of natural causes at his New York city residence on October 2. He was 89 years old.
Mr. Eyer attended the Groton School and Yale University and had a distinguished naval career in World War II. He was a candidate for Congress in 1958. In recent years, Mr. Eyer divided his time between his apartment on Park avenue, his house in Edgartown and his farm in Pawling, New York.
He is survived by his wife of many years, Lisa Auchincloss Eyer and daughters Diana Bohn of McClean, Va.; Lisa Ryan of East Hampton and New York city; Alexandra Eyer-Martinez of Gold Beach, Ore.; and six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. at Frank E. Campbell's Funeral Home, 81st street and Madison avenue, in New York city. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the NYC Fire Department Widows and Orphans Fund.
Lois McLaughlin Flint
Lois McLaughlin Flint of Peoria, Ariz. died Sept. 25, 2003. She was 51. Mrs. Flint was born on July 15, 1952 in Oak Bluffs, the daughter of Martha and Gilbert McLaughlin, and attended Island schools until moving to Attleboro with her family in 1960. She was the granddaughter of the late Harold and Lois Bridge of Oak Bluffs and Captain Ethon C. and Hannah McLaughlin of Edgartown.
Mrs. Flint is survived by her parents; her husband of 25 years, Michael; daughter, Heather Wasak, and son in law John of Pawtucket, R.I.; daughters Tara, Kathleen and Genevieve Flint of Peoria; three grandchildren, Chelsea, Patrick and Kristian Wasak; brothers William McLaughlin of Attleboro and David McLaughlin of Seekonk; and sister Sharon M. Higgins of Cumberland, R.I. She is also survived by her aunt, Eileen McLaughlin of Oak Bluffs; uncle Harold Bridge 2nd of Oswegatchie, N.Y.; cousins Diane Figueiredo of Vineyard Haven, Patricia Reed of Nantucket and Janet Berry of Bedford, Pa.
The family requests that donations be made in her memory to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Rhode Island Chapter, 206 Hallene Rd. Suite 209, Warwick RI 02886.
Rev. Harry Yoder, 99
Was Mennonite Pastor, Farmer
The Rev. Harry Yoder died of pneumonia on October 1 at the Mennonite Memorial Home in Bluffton, Ohio. He was 99.
He was married
to the late Jean M. Martin for 64 years. Following his retirement in 1974, the Rev. and Mrs. Yoder lived for two years on Martha's Vineyard, where his wife's family had a cottage.
Born August 29, 1904, in Goshen, Ind., he worked on the family farm after eighth grade and eventually graduated from Goshen Academy. Mr. Yoder studied at Bluffton College's Witmarsum Theological Seminary and graduated in 1932. He continued studying theology at the Hartford Theological Seminary in Connecticut. Following graduation in 1935, Rev. Yoder became pastor of the former Silver Street Mennonite Church in Goshen. In addition to his duties as pastor, he drove a school bus and ran a farm with hundred of chickens.
Mr. Yoder went to work for Bluffton College in 1946. After five years, he became assistant to the president at Bluffton College and traveled to churches in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania to raise money.
Mr. Yoder was pastor of several Mennonite churches over the years including the Carlock Mennonite Church and the Little North Church in Carlock, Ill.; the Calvary Mennonite Church in Washington, Ill.; and visitation pastor at the First Mennonite Church in Bluffton. He received an honorary doctorate from Bluffton College in 1983.
According to his daughter, Edith Yoder of Vineyard Haven, Mr. Yoder was a people person, enjoyed traveling and meeting people and was known for his sense of humor. He refinished furniture that he collected in his travels through the Midwest in his spare time and was a member of the Bluffton Lions Club.
Surviving are his son, Ronald Yoder, of Portland, Ore.; daughters Edith Yoder of Vineyard Haven and Laura Gliga of Oak Bluffs; brothers Allen Yoder Jr. of Middlebury, Ind. and Dale Yoder of Goshen, Ind.; sister Ruth Leichty of Goshen; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the First Mennonite Church in Bluffton. The family suggests tributes to Bluffton College, First Mennonite Church or the Mennonite Memorial Home.
Ruth G. Cameron, 85
Was Avid Bridge Player
Ruth G. Cameron of Oak Bluffs died Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003 at Royal Nursing Home, Falmouth, where she resided for the past two years. She was 85.
Mrs. Cameron was born in Somerville on Aug. 14, 1918 to the late Clement and Cecilia (Flux) Geary. Raised in Cambridge, she was the wife of the late James K. Cameron, who died on July 5, 1989.
After their marriage, they lived in several places, including Chicago, Louisville and Dover, Del. Upon retirement, they settled in Oak Bluffs. Mrs. Cameron was an active member of the Trinity United Methodist Church, and an avid bridge player. She also enjoyed sewing.
Ruth is survived by her son, Edwin, and his wife Barbara of Stamford, Conn.; two daughters, Ann Walsh of Canada and Lorna and her husband Sam Wollaston of Crown, N.Y,; one brother, Clifford N. Geary of Hague, N.Y.; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Her funeral service will be held Saturday, Oct. 11 in the Trinity Church, Oak Bluffs, at noon. Burial will follow in the Oak Grove cemetery. Visiting hours in the Chapman Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs, on Saturday prior to her service are from 10 a.m. to noon.
Memorial donations may be made to the Trinity United Methodist Church.
