Chilmark greets this day in mid February with bright sunshine and cold temps. However dire warnings are coming our way. You will know how right the weather forecasters are by the time you read this. It would be nice to get rid of some of the old snow and ice that make walking around a chore for some of us. The crisp air is great to breathe and the sky and ocean are a beautiful blue, so life is good in Chilmark. It is necessary to say goodbye to three people who enjoyed life in Chilmark and shared their bright lives with us. All three added to the joy of living here and added to the lives of many of us.

Ted Meinelt of South Road died on Feb. 5 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital at 97. He had continued to live alone at the Mayhew family home on South Road where he and his late wife Polly Mayhew Meinelt lived and entertained for many years. They valued the history of Martha’s Vineyard and their family and researched and recorded many facts about those subjects. Ted taught art at the local schools for many years. The covers of the Chilmark Community Center summer booklets were his work and the originals of those pictures were donated to the town. Ted and Polly served for a number of years on the Chilmark Historical Commission. He will be missed by his many friends and all those he came in contact with throughout his long and interesting life. His son Terry and his family survive him and plan a memorial at a later date to be announced. We send condolences to all who knew and loved Ted. We will always miss him. Katherine Brehm Tilton Teel died on Feb. 7 at a nursing home on the mainland. She was born and raised in Chilmark and began her school days here. Her parents were Ralph and Lucetta Tilton. Ralph was a lobsterman and fisherman of Menemsha. Lucetta came from a family of artists and illustrators from Indiana. Many of them settled in Chilmark and are still part of Vineyard life. Katherine attended Menemsha School and had many friends from those days. She was proud of her early Tilton family and often referred to being a North Road Tilton. She went on to Simmons College, marriage and life in Montana. She was a registered dietician and worked in that field most of her career. She loved the vast outdoors of Montana, but was always happy to return to her Chilmark home. She and her husband, the late Dr. Peter Teel, settled year round at that home a number of years ago. She enjoyed renewing her childhood friendships and welcoming her five grandchildren to Chilmark. She is survived by her sons, Derrick of Oak Bluffs, and Phillip of Cumberland, R.I. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Burial will be at Abel’s Hill Cemetery. We send condolences to her many family members and friends.

Dolores C. Kit Kenyon of Westwood and Chilmark died at Clark House in Westwood. Kit and her husband Edward Tip Kenyon were busy members of the Chilmark community for over 40 years. They came seasonally while pursuing careers and raising children and then in 1997 they settled at their Abel’s Hill home year round. Kit was active in many programs and projects Island-wide and was known to many who enjoyed her lively personality and hard work. She had a successful career in the field of nursing. She and Tip celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2013. She is survived by Tip and their four sons and nine grandchildren. There will be a memorial service on May 31 at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury. We send condolences to her large family and many friends.

Congratulations to the Chilmark School PTO on the successful fundraising evening of dancing and more at the Chilmark Community Center last weekend. It was especially praiseworthy that Katie Carroll, party planner extraordinaire, was able to beat off the flu and recover in time to enjoy it all! Tom Dunlop wrote an interesting history of one of the colder winters in Chilmark in last week’s Gazette and I can add to the folklore. My mother always bragged about driving her Model A Ford on the ice on Menemsha Pond. She said she went onto the ice in the neighborhood of Clam Cove. There were many on the ice, skating and just walking to enjoy the moment. It was an unusual winter.

Conrad and Jane Neumann chose this past week to visit us, coming from Durham, N.C. They visited their Chilmark and Menemsha houses and spent the week saying hello to their family and friends in spite of two snowstorms and helping us out with some medical emergencies. All’s well and they assured us that they had a good time! They will be back mid June for their long summer season at their Menemsha home.

Please forward any news of note so that I can continue to keep us all in touch through what I see as the dead of winter!