Word has been received from Tartu, Estonia, of the death of Edvard Meisner.

Edvard was a frequent visitor to the Vineyard during the 1990s. Here he was socially active with the informal bird watchers’ group at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. He was also a volunteer at the Vineyard Open Land Foundation’s cranberry bog project.

Edvard was an avid cross-country skier. Over the years he competed in more than 25 marathon events. His last event was the 31-kilometer Tartu marathon in February 2007.

Until his retirement, Edvard was on the faculty of the Estonian Agricultural University. His specialty was in vitro fertilization in hog breeding. On that topic he co-authored a dictionary of terminology in several languages.

A memorial service will be held in Tartu on Saturday, March 15.