Dr. Sidney Kaufman, a long-time seasonal resident of Chilmark, died Monday, August 6.

Dr. Kaufman loved the Vineyard for 40 years, relishing its climate and the people he met here. He was an avid tennis player, golfer and bicyclist who enjoyed jokes and loved laughter. He was interred in Abel's Hill cemetery on Tuesday.

Before retiring from medicine, Dr. Kaufman was a general surgeon in Pittsburgh. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Medical School and later worked as chief of surgery at Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II, retiring as a captain.

Upon retirement from his medical practice, he served on the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. He also took up several new pursuits including sailboat racing on Menemsha Pond. Famous for sailing with his wife and dog, Dr. Kaufman set many international records for catboats on small race courses.

He continued to ski and to play tennis and golf into his late eighties. Breckinridge was a favorite skiing destination, particularly after his 80th birthday when lift tickets became free. Dr. Kaufman's family disagrees on whether he ever bought a new golf ball, but all agree that he never bought a brand-new golf club. He generally preferred saving money to spending it, and an excellent day on the golf links was measured in the number of balls he found while tramping in the woods. These detours had nothing to do with retrieving his own shots, which were usually in the fairway and in any case rarely traveled far enough to reach the woods. He was an enthusiastic member of Mink Meadows and the Delaire Club in Florida.

Anticipating the wellness movement, Dr. Kaufman pioneered weight-control diets with his wisdom, "If it tastes good, spit it out." Flirting with hypocrisy, at least in spirit, he never lost his love of excellent corned beef sandwiches.

Dr. Kaufman was married for 54 years to Lois Sanger Kaufman, and is survived by three children - Joanne, Patricia and David - and by nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Chilmark Community Center, South Road, Chilmark, MA 02535.