Nora H. Linn, 100, Had Endless Curiosity

Nora H. Linn, of the Bronx, N.Y., and Oak Bluffs, died Oct. 15 in her 100th year at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, N.Y., where she had resided for the last 14 months.

Having lived her entire life in a series of New York city apartments, Nora initially came to Martha's Vineyard in 1953, first summering at the Mary Guerin Inn on Eastville Beach.

She slowly accumulated sufficient savings, at the rate of $5 per week from her teacher's salary, to purchase her Eastville dream cottage, "a house with a tree," in 1956. It was her pride and joy and she happily shared the small residence with family and friends. It was used as the core of an addition made in 1983 by her son and daughter in law that became first a three, and more recently, a four-generation home.

Nora loved many things about the Island: the first ferry ride to where she shed all the cares of life; the old-time ham and bean suppers; the sumptuous buffets at the Harborview hotel; and the outdoor classical music and dance concerts.

She particularly loved the water. She "dunked" frequently, but to her chagrin and lifelong embarrassment, never learned to swim. She took every opportunity to urge those all around her to try the water, her favorite summer pastime.

Nora was nothing if not determined and she decided that education and learning would be at the core of her life. She graduated from New York University as a French major, continuing onto a master's degree from Columbia University's Teachers College. She initially taught and then directed at a cooperative nursery school, later shifting to the public school system, teaching first grade until her retirement.

She was rarely without a book. Her interests were varied and included extensive travel (she spoke several languages), lectures, playing both the piano and the full family of recorders. There are few things that pleased her more than when her three great-grandchildren began piano lessons on the instrument she gave them, the one she and both her sons played for decades.

Her love of reading extended to her long commitment to the Vineyard Haven Public Library, where she spent many happy years as an eager volunteer. When in New York, her endless curiosity brought her to the Museum of Natural History, where she led school group tours.

Never one to shy away from a new challenge, though never entirely pleased with her results, Nora tried her hand at painting, pottery and knitting. Evidence of some of her handiwork resides in the family Island house. 

She was a woman of boundless intellectual enthusiasm devoted to learning and education. Her fiercely independent life was blessed with a feisty spirit and a love of music, literature and the arts.

She was the wife of the late Dr. Harry, mother of Victor and Judith, Robert and Ann, grandmother of Gregory and Lisa, Jason and Abby, and great-grandmother of JJ, Emily and Zachary.

She will be missed by many.

Contributions may be made in her memory to the Vineyard Haven library.