Maria Esther Nunes died Feb. 16 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis.

A granddaughter, Rachel Mongillo, composed the following obituary about the life of Mrs. Nunes:

My grandmother came from humble beginnings. She grew up on a farm, moved to the Vineyard in her adolescent years and remained there for the majority of her life.

That is where she met her husband Manuel J. Nunes Jr. She brought her four children into this world: Lena, Manny, April and Theresa. She had a large following of great and great-great-grandchildren.

She shined her best when she was in nature. She was a gifted gardener and was truly at peace with her animals. She had a best friend that she thought of as a sister named Louise. They were each other’s confidants over coffee and cigarettes. They shared many passions, especially cribbage, online cards, and bingo. In my grandmother’s time, she was quite an athlete. She loved bowling and golfing, long walks on the Edgartown golf links and swimming at dusk on the beach.

What I will remember most about my grandmother is her kindness to others and animals and her ability to persevere. She would give you what she had even if she had very little to give and in the end you cannot put a price on that quality because of the enormity of selflessness. She was an incredibly hard worker. With no formal education she managed to hold a home on the Island and rear her children through being a caretaker, waitress, housekeeper and landscaper, among other roles.

Because of this she gave her family the tools to build successful families of their own and to handle whatever life tends to throw at you. She never complained about how hard she had to struggle or what she did or did not have. She loved to meet people and chat with them about simple pleasantries and talks of her grandchildren and their accomplishments.

My Grammy, as I liked to call her, had a beautiful spirit and had the playfulness and sweetness of a young girl. She was very well-liked and loved by all who had the privilege of knowing her on Island and off. She will be greatly missed. Her seeds will continue bearing the gift of life and all that it has to give throughout her legacy.

Services are private.