Gayle King Lee, a longtime summer resident of Chilmark, died on July 11 of cancer. Her beautiful smile and warm personality will be remembered by all who met her.

Gayle trained as a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. After graduating, she met her future husband, John Lee, at the Newport Jazz Festival. They settled in Larchmont, N.Y. and had a wonderful, adventurous life together.

She grew up in Newport, R.I. and felt entirely at home on the Vineyard. She enjoyed the Vineyard with her family and many friends, and at times on her own, working without distraction on her master’s dissertation. But Gayle was at her best with others. She had an extraordinary gift for communication and used this in her important work in patient advocacy.

As a pioneer in hospice care and patient advocacy, Gayle founded the cancer support team in 1978, the first hospice organization in New York and one of the first in the country. At a time when cancer care was focused on clinical treatment, Gayle helped revolutionize the treatment of cancer by providing psychological, emotional and spiritual support for patients and their families in their homes. Her family estimates that she personally worked with 500 cancer patients over her career. Today the cancer support team is a thriving organization serving hundreds of cancer patients and their families throughout Westchester County every year.

Throughout both her working and private life, Gayle exhibited a remarkable generosity of spirit and empathy. Her friends on the Vineyard will miss her tremendously.

She is survived by her four children, Jocelyn, Lauren, John and Roger, her 10 grandchildren and her partner Bob Williams.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Cancer Support Team, 875 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 204, Mamaroneck, NY 10543.