Helen E. (Hallie) Young died on Dec. 15, 2008, having recently celebrated her 88th birthday. She had been a summer resident of the Vineyard most of her adult life, and was a winter resident of Key West, Fla. for 20 years until she was moved to Fort Myers for medical reasons, where she died.

Born Helen Marie Eggert in Chicago, Hallie earned her education at Briarcliff Manor in New York and Radcliffe College in Cambridge. She was married for 62 years to Howard (Bung) Young who had a passion for travel so, together, they visited more than 30 countries, even living in Italy and France for two years with their family in the early 1950’s. They both loved sailing and enjoyed many chartered trips in the Bahamas and took about 85 cruises together.

In Key West, Hallie volunteered for the chamber of commerce and greeted the cruise ships and pinned hibiscus flowers on all the ladies disembarking. For her work, she earned the distinction of becoming an honorary “conch.” She loved living in Key West and looking out at the water and boats and going to the theatre and restaurants.

Prior to Key West, she lived in Washington, D.C. where she was active politically, working in the White House for the first lady during the Carter Administration. She had previously joined Lady Bird Johnson on her whistlestop campaign trips. Her other interests were doing volunteer work for the Mental Health Association, editing its newsletter among other tasks. She loved to write and had been a correspondent for the Vineyard Gazette and had edited the Junior League Magazine in New York for some years. She wrote many travel articles which were published in various newspapers.

Mrs. Young is survived by her children Geoffrey (Bernadine), Sharon, and Candace (Dennis) and granddaughters Lindsay and Courtney.

There will be a private family memorial in Chilmark on June 6 to scatter her ashes near her summer home.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Vineyard Conservation Society, P.O. Box 2189, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 or the Vineyard Hospital Building Fund, P.O. Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.