Judith Blackmar Jahries died peacefully on May 22 at her home in Vineyard Haven, with family by her side. She was 77.
Judy lived a long and eventful life, but raising her four children and 12 grandchildren with her husband Bob was her greatest joy.
Born Nov. 6,1939 in Orange, N.J. to Marjorie McLerie Blackmar and John M. Blackmar, she grew up in Summit, N.J. where she attended Franklin Elementary, Summit Junior High, and in 1958, graduated from The Beard School where she acquired life-long friends. Judy also attended Pine Manor College for two years before she set off for New York city. In 1961, she had a fortuitous introduction to John Robert Jahries during a party at the Short Hills Ski Club; they married soon after at Christ Church in Short Hills and celebrated with a fabulous party at the Beacon Hill Club. Their first home together was in Murray Hill, N.J., and then Summit where they spent the next 32 years. They also built a vacation home called Singing Pines on 88 stunning acres in East Calais, Vt., where they enjoyed morning swims in #10 Pond, sugaring, evening bonfires and stargazing.
While her children were young, she was an active volunteer at the Summit Garden Club, the Lincoln School PTO, the United Way, and the Junior League of Summit Thrift Shop. Not only did she enjoy her time at the thrift shop, Judy also loved to outfit her children with the bargains she found. When they went to Summit High School, she took jobs for the Youth Employment Service and in the attendance office. She loved the students. Judy was later employed by City Federal Savings Bank as a teller and loan officer. She was most content while helping people.
Judy’s early summers were spent in Mantoloking, N.J. and on Nantucket. Then, in 1954, her parents built Heather Hill, a home in Blacksmith Valley, Chilmark, overlooking Nashaquitsa Pond. Her love for the Vineyard ignited and when Bob retired in 1991, they bought their own place in West Tisbury. This home became the center of her family’s gatherings. She also forged long-term friendships within the local community, deepened her love for gardening, and furthered her practice of needle work with her weekly sewing group, comprised of forever friends. She carried out her commitment to conservation and the environment as well, through her dedication to the Polly Hill Arboretum and the MV Agricultural Society. Painting trim and hanging shingles on the new Ag Hall with her neighbors was a community endeavor that she remembered fondly.
She loved to hike Land Bank trails and comb beaches for sea glass and heart-shaped rocks. For her, the process of creativity was constant. She made, grew and nurtured things: smocked dresses and pieced quilts, holiday decorations, and flower and vegetable gardens. She made hundreds of organic raspberry jam pints (which she sold at Alley’s). Judy’s endless energy had her painting and wallpapering rooms, writing letters, traveling whenever possible, reading multiple newspapers daily cover-to-cover, and hosting individual weekend sleepovers for her grandchildren. She came from a family of doers and she shared that affinity.
She volunteered for many organizations, including the Vineyard Haven Library and the census bureau, the latter of which took her down back roads to beautiful places she never knew existed. She found great joy helping Martha’s Vineyard Community Services organize the Possible Dreams Auction, where she was in charge of wrangling the runners. At The Toy Box in Vineyard Haven, where she was a fixture after 23 years, she was recognized as the taller of the two silver haired clerks. Anyone who was a kid at heart loved her. Her grandchildren were always thrilled to receive Toy Box gift certificates from Judy, wrapped in red paper, studded with stickers. She also owned her own tour business, called Vineyard Guides, which allowed her to share her beloved Island with visitors.
Gardening was a lifelong passion and this talent came naturally to her. Judy was a docent at the Polly Hill Arboretum for countless children on school field trips and her own flower and vegetable gardens were spectacular. Their West Tisbury property was even photographed for the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine and for CL Fornari’s book, A Garden Lover’s Martha’s Vineyard Their home was a stop on the garden club’s tour as well. She loved propagating plants at the Wakeman Center and attending garden shows.
The Agricultural Fair in August was, no doubt, her favorite event of the year. Judy poured over the fair book, dog-earing the pages of interest. Submitting her creations was always exciting, but admiring the work of others brought her even more joy than seeing a ribbon attached to her very own hydrangea quercifolia entry. She loved every part of the fair: watching grandchildren giggle on rides, looking in on the livestock, tasting tempura and a fireman burger, “well-done, please,” and especially slinging the skillet with her daughters, which became an annual tradition. For her the fair was magical, and a close second was the Edgartown Fourth of July parade, which she wouldn’t miss either.
She is survived by Bob, her husband of 55 years, and their children: Sarah Kenyon of Gill and her partner, Nicole Hager; Stephen Jahries of Simpsonville, S.C. and his wife, Diana; Peter Jahries of Towson, Md. and his wife, Jill; and Emily Moehnke of West Tisbury and her husband, Perry; her grandchildren: Allison and Kate Jahries, Martha, Charlie, and Robby Kenyon, Rylie Hager, Jack, Matthew and Ben Jahries, and Porter, Margaret and Mathilda Moehnke; her sister, Jeanie McLerie Blackmar and her husband Ken Keppeler of Silver City, N.M. and their daughter Nellie Sipko; and her sister Susie McLerie Blackmar of Astoria, and her children Rosie Holden, Lorraine Boswell and Osman Boswell.
Judy will be deeply missed by those that knew her. She will be remembered for her devotion to all of them, her generosity and compassion, her formidable will, her curious spirit, and her contagious laugh and beautiful smile.
Her family would like to express deep gratitude to Judy’s wonderful and loyal friends. A special thank you goes out to Dr. Paul O’Donnell at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Dr. Basia McAnaw at Falmouth Hospital, their staff, many nurses of MVH, and Meg Verret of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard.
A celebration of Judy’s life will take place on June 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory can be made to the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society or the Polly Hill Arboretum.
Langdon Payne Clarke, or Coach Lang to many people, recently died on Martha’s Vineyard. He was 66.
Formerly of Darien, Conn., Lang will be forever known for his involvement as co-founder of the Darien Youth Lacrosse Program. Whether it was handing out deli sandwiches to his volunteer coaches or driving around town in his Jeep with lacrosse sticks, Lang was on the playing fields all spring long sharing his love of lacrosse.
Formerly an asset manager at Merrill Lynch and Trinal Investments, he was a board member at the Darien Depot Youth Center and CONNY Lacrosse and a member of the Tokeneke Club.
Lang grew up in Greenwich, Conn. and attended Greenwich Country Day School, Taft School and Rollins College. Upon moving to Martha’s Vineyard in 2004, Lang worked in real estate and was recently associated with Point B Realty in Edgartown. He continued to coach lacrosse at the high school, volunteered with the Vineyard House and loved to fish all around the Island.
He is survived by his two children, Alex Clarke and Christie Clarke Napier, their spouses, Natalia Clarke and Brent Napier, his three grandchildren, Warner, Nina and Kacper, and his former wife, Pamela Griswold Clarke.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Darien Lights Brigade (darienlightsbrigade.com). The lights for the athletic fields in Darien are something for which Lang campaigned strongly from the start and he would be proud to know it was coming to fruition. Donations may also be made to the Vineyard House (vineyardhouse.org).
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 26 at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown.
Margery Louise Ryder Howes, a summer resident of Vineyard Haven, died on Sunday, May 21 in her home in New Canaan, Conn. She was 84.
She was born in Stamford, Conn., the daughter of Harrison and Louise Ryder. She graduated from Northfield School for Girls (now known as Northfield Mt. Hermon) and then attended the University of Connecticut, ultimately earning her bachelor’s degree in early childhood development. She was also an active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, and remained an active alumna. It is at UConn that she met her husband, Paul R. Howes, and they were married on April 24, 1954. They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this past April.
Margery enjoyed life to the fullest, spending summers on Martha’s Vineyard, watching UConn women’s basketball, and spending as much time as possible with her family, whether it was traveling to Arizona, New Jersey, or Spain.
She is survived by her husband, Paul; her three children and their spouses: Matthew Howes and his wife, Annie, of Goodyear, Ariz.; Louise Howes of New Canaan, Conn., and Julia Gomez-Blanco and her husband, Javier, of East Brunswick, N.J., and three loving grandchildren: Bridget, Aidan and Olivia.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 10 at 11 a.m. at the Congregational Church of New Canaan, 23 Park Street, New Canaan, Conn.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the following: Northfield Mount Hermon Gift Recording Office, Norton House, One Lamplighter Way, Mount Hermon, MA 01354, or Pi Beta Phi Foundation, 1154 Town and Country Commons Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017.
Chilmark became the first town on the Island two weeks ago to raise the minimum purchase age for tobacco products to 21. A policy was passed by the town board of health on May 17.
Golfers from on and off the Island will hit the links this weekend for the 23rd annual Children’s Benefit Golf Tournament, hosted by the Farm Neck Golf Club.
Moped rentals are back in business in Oak Bluffs, with selectmen voting Tuesday to grant licenses to the town’s three rental companies following a court order late last week.
A memorial service for Mary Ives Greely will be held on Saturday, June 24 at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edgartown. There will be a reception following the service in the parish hall at St. Andrew’s. All are welcome.
Mrs. Greely died on February 5. She was 88.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Island Food Pantry, P.O. Box 1874, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
The Vineyard Committee on Hunger is hosting its annual bread and baked goods sale on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sale is on Main street Vineyard Haven.
Vineyard Sinfonietta will present a free concert titled From Bach to Beatles on Sunday, June 11 from 3 to 4 p.m at Howes House in West Tisbury.
