Kathleen Frances Brennan Mayhew, a lifelong resident of Vineyard Haven, died Friday at her home after a year-long illness. She was 85.

She was born in Vineyard Haven on Feb. 28, 1922, the daughter of Chester L. Brennan and Catherine Kiley Brennan.

She attended Tisbury School and was graduated from Tisbury High School in the Class of 1939. She then earned a degree in business from Bryant College in Rhode Island.

She worked at several Island businesses and as an operator for the telephone company before a career at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital in accounting and in the development office.

Kathy loved her family and friends, and typically was more concerned for their happiness and well-being than her own. She was a soft-spoken and gentle person who loved watching the birds on the feeder outside her picture window. She loved flowers and music and there was always a family dog or two that brought her joy.

Kathy enjoyed packing a lunch to bring to the beach and was an avid and excellent swimmer, leaving hardly a ripple as she swam through the swells. 

With her grandchildren she would hunt and gather white pebbles, which have accumulated over the years in her driveway.

Kathy loved the Vineyard, her home for 85 years. She rarely missed a parade, the fireworks or Illumination Night. She always enjoyed dancing and dining out. She brought enthusiasm and cheerfulness to those around her.

Kathy enjoyed watching ball games with her sons and was always interested in and proud of her children's accomplishments. She was happy and blessed to have her brother Tom back home on the Island for the past 10 years. She and her sisters Gert and Fay had good times and fun card games often at Gert's house in Edgartown.

Kathy enjoyed visiting her daughters Mindy and Jeanne and her sister Jeanne in Florida where she enjoyed the beaches and her grandchildren. Kathy didn't otherwise often leave the Vineyard and never drove a car off-Island.

When a family member would leave the Island, Kathy was known to stand at the dock or at the airport waving goodbye until they were out of sight.

Survivors include her children, Thomas W. Mayhew of Vineyard Haven, L. Michael Mayhew Jr. of Norwell, Jeanne Gravley of Viera, Fla. and Melinda Lock of Melbourne, Fla.; her former husband, Lloyd M. Mayhew Sr. of Viera, Fla.; seven grandchildren, Kenn, Kurt, Kelly, Kaylee, Eric, Amanda, and Anna; six great-grandchildren; her sister, Jeanne Clark of Satellite Beach, Fla., and her brother, Thomas. L. Brennan of Vineyard Haven; and many nieces and nephews of the Mayhew, Brennan, Shaw, Andrade, Dodge, Mercer and Cullen families.

She was predeceased by her sisters, Gertrude Brock and Fay Andrade.

An interment service is set for Saturday at noon in Oak Grove Cemetery, State Road, Vineyard Haven. The Rev. Michael Nagle will officiate. There will be a procession from the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs beginning at 11 a.m. Visiting hours will be held Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.

Donations may be made in her memory to Vineyard Nursing Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, P.O. Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.