Esther P. Pinkham, 97, Was Lifelong Vineyarder

Esther P. Pinkham of Vineyard Haven, who was born on August 18 in 1909 and lived her entire life on Martha's Vineyard, died at Windemere on Dec. 22, four months into her 97th year. As a member of the Daggett family while growing up, the daughter of Capt. Silas Daggett, Esther was a firsthand witness to the enormous change of Martha's Vineyard from a small-town trading Island to a highly desired summer destination. Her father, Silas Daggett, was an important figure to the Island, especially so in chartering the East Chop Lighthouse.

Esther and her husband, Wallace Pinkham, former superintendent of the Tisbury Water Works, were married for many years and had one son, Wallace S. Pinkham Jr. Both predeceased Esther. As a wife and mother of many years, Esther was a careful note taker and bookkeeper. She was schooled on the Island and went to Charlesgate Nursing School on Memorial Boulevard in Cambridge. She returned to the Island and worked for the town of Tisbury as a nurse and also did some private nursing duties. She was active in the Red Cross.

As a part of the heritage of Martha's Vineyard over the last hundred years, Esther was a quiet but keen observer of the growing importance of the Island's resources. Being involved through her husband with the important source of fresh water for the town, Esther held an up-to-date understanding of the needs of year-round and summer residents as well as the growing trade and hospitality concerns. As with many of her age and time, the concept of a lifetime work ethic was a bedrock of her view of life. In acquiring an understanding of her father's business ventures and her husband's dedication to a job essential to a town's primary resource, Esther maintained a practical view of life's requirements and duties. Even recently at Windemere, the staff was appreciative of her awareness of the many activities going on around her and her astuteness in her view of life's remembrances.  

She was a wonderful cook, known for making hearty New England homemade dishes such as Grape Nut custard, brown bread and snow puddings, as well as many fresh native fish recipes. She was outdoors often around her previous house at the water works by Lake Tashmoo as a nature lover who appreciated her natural scenic surroundings, the weather, and the many birds and other animals which frequented the area.

She is survived by two grandchildren, Glenn Pinkham and Lori Pinkham, and her great-grandchildren, Desmond, Silas, Riley and Zander. Daggett family relatives from the Vineyard who survive her include three nieces, Winifred Kittila of Nantucket, Dorothy Coggins of Virginia, and Esther Cummens of Florida; a nephew, Thomas J. Rabbitt Jr. of Vineyard Haven, and their many descendants. She is also survived by her daughter in law Cheryl Pinkham and nieces Joan Foote of Tennessee and Jayne Stanek of Vineyard Haven and many cousins. Esther was also close to her now-deceased sister, Bernice Daggett Rabbitt, whom she visited every day for many years.

A graveside service was held on Dec. 26 in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Linton Lane, PO Box 1747, Oak Bluffs. Arrangements were by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.