Edith Chinlund Brown died peacefully on Jan. 5, just shy of her 83rd birthday.

Edie was born on Jan. 13, 1936, in New York city, the daughter of Edwin F. Chinlund and Helen Chinlund of New York and Vineyard Haven. She grew up on Gramercy Park and attended Friends Seminary. After high school, she attended Wheelock College in Boston.

She met her future husband, Arnold K. Brown Jr., when she was 16. Brownie, as he was known, was the Harvard college roommate of Edie’s older brother Steve Chinlund. Edie and Brownie married in New York in June 1955, soon after graduation. Edie moved with Brownie as he served in the U.S. Army in Frankfurt, Germany and then various U.S.-based posts.

After their Army years, Edie and Brownie settled in Barrington, R.I., with their daughters Lynne and Cindy. Edie was busy raising children and was active in the League of Women Voters.

She had summered on the Vineyard every year of her life, and in 1970 she and Brownie bought their own home on Grove avenue in Vineyard Haven. They moved to the Vineyard full time in 1974 and embraced their long-awaited year-round Island life. They bought Woodchips Designers and grew the business from its original roots on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven to State Road, employing many Islanders along the way. After they sold the company, Edie began a career in real estate, working with the wonderful team at Landmarks Real Estate in Vineyard Haven. She liked all aspects of the Vineyard real estate business and the career was a perfect fit for her.

She was a member of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club for more than 80 years, and her family enjoyed time on the water. She and Brownie owned several boats, including one of the first Wasque 32s built by the Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, later to become the Vigilant II for the VHYC. They also enjoyed sailing on Chilmark Pond in their catboat with long picnics across on South Beach. Their schooner Good Fortune was a fixture in Vineyard Haven harbor for years, and they enjoyed many sailing adventures with Island friends.

Edie and Brownie enjoyed birding and traveled regularly throughout the U.S. and Great Britain, adding to their life bird list. Edie enjoyed walks at Felix Neck and Cedar Tree Neck, and supported local conservation efforts. She was active with Island Elderly Housing as well as the West Tisbury Congregational Church.

She loved knitting and needlepoint, jigsaw puzzles and a good mystery book. She spent many summer hours on the beach, chatting with friends. And she made an excellent tuna sandwich.

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 51, she participated successfully in several research studies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She bravely met each life change with grace and strength. She moved from her Grove avenue home to Havenside, and then to Windemere, where she received wonderful attention from a loving group of caregivers, in addition to her family.

She was predeceased by her husband, her son in law James Andrews and her granddaughter Meagan Andrews.

She is survived by her brother Stephen Chinlund of New York; daughters Cindy Brown Andrews of Edgartown and Lynne Brown Strang of Burbank, Calif., and Vineyard Haven; four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Following family tradition, Edie’s ashes will be scattered in Vineyard Sound off of West Chop. She was loved and will be deeply missed.