Peter Michael Devine of Oak Bluffs died on Nov. 17. He was 56.

Peter was born on March 18, 1955, the son of Herbert and Cynthia Devine of Vineyard Haven and the youngest of five children. He grew up on the Island and was a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe. As a boy, Peter spent much time outdoors and in his neighborhood visiting family and friends.

Years later Peter moved to the Cape and started a family. His daughter, Donna, was born in 1974. In his 20s he returned to the Island to help his mother care for the elderly at Sunny Haven Nursing Home in Vineyard Haven, which she owned and managed.

Peter became a well-known landscaper and painter on the Island. He was painting at the Chowder House restaurant in Vineyard Haven (now defunct) when he met his future wife, Marie White. She was working as a waitress there. and they later married on Nov. 29, 1986.

In the winter of 2006, Peter and Marie adopted a little girl, Marie Wyatta Bah, from Monrovia, Liberia. It didn’t take long for her to feel at home with Peter and Marie, who showered her with affection, patience and understanding. They shared new experiences together and Peter’s love of music, dancing and family gatherings.

Peter’s life was marked by great love of family. He was close to his mother and siblings, especially his older brother, Herbie. He looked forward to his mother’s visits and going to lunch with her. He also admired his wife’s family and highly regarded her parents for their humor and kindness. Peter’s two daughters meant the world to him and he longed to see his grandchildren on their summer visits to the Island.

Everyone who knew Peter also knew he loved to eat — fried clams and pizza from Giordano’s, clam chowder made by his friends Stanley and Lanette Larsen, his daughter Marie’s homemade omelets, and anything made by his wife, Marie, a culinary graduate of Johnson & Wales.

For the last decade of his life, Peter battled many health problems. Yet he faced longtime illness with courage, humor and a smile, which impressed all who knew him. In 2004 Peter was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. His belief that God’s government, the kingdom prayed for in the Our Father prayer, will soon end all suffering on earth and restore peace to it sustained him greatly.

He is survived by his wife, Marie; his two daughters, Donna Devine of Cinncinnati, Ohio, and Marie Wyatta Devine; three grandchildren, Troy, Jada, and Dakota; his mother, Cynthia Vieira of Pocasset; a brother, Herbert Devine of Canton; a sister, Nancy Lopes of Bourne; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Herbert Devine, his brother, Dennis Devine, and his sister, Barbara Lobo.

A memorial service was held on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in West Tisbury, followed by a reception at Chilmark Community Center.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Wampanoag Health Service, 20 Black Brook Rd., Aquinnah, MA 02535 or to the Vineyard Nursing Association, P.O. Box 399, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole, and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.