Sophia Churchill, wife of Alfred Churchill, died May 6 at the Tidewell Hospice Center in Punta Gorda, Fla. She was 96.

Sophia was born in South Boston on July 12, 1913. After graduating from high school, she took a waitressing job at the West Chop Country Club where she met her husband-to-be, Alfred Churchill. They were married on May 29, 1936.

During World War II, Alfred Churchill was in the Merchant Marines, so Sophia moved to the Island in 1942 with her three children and lived in an apartment over her father in law’s paint shop, W.G. Manter Painting Co. Sophia’s ability to remember details of her earlier days was remarkable. She used to tell us about how we stood in line for our war rations of butter, sugar and coffee on Main street in Vineyard Haven, and how young George learned to swim after falling through the ice in the harbor by what is now the Black Dog Restaurant.

After the war, Alfred and Sophia purchased a farm in West Tisbury where they raised their three children. Life on the farm was hard work, but it was very rewarding. Sophia managed the daily routine of feeding the cows, horses, sheep, chickens, ducks and turkeys. Alfred sold farm products such as raw milk and eggs, and he worked for his father in the painting business. The economy after the war was so poor that Sophia also took on house cleaning jobs and laundry for summer residents. During the 1950s, Sophia converted the farmhouse and barn to a bed and breakfast, and over the years she and Alfred developed friendships with guests that lasted a lifetime. In the 1960s, Sophia worked for Millie Briggs at her Beach Road shop.

Sophia was a dedicated and loving mother who always put her children first. There were the annual shopping trips to Boston to buy clothes, when she would take us to the escalator at Filene’s Basement, where we would ride up and down for what seemed like hours while she shopped. She would buy a hunting license even though she didn’t know how to shoot a gun. Then George could go deer and duck hunting before he was of age. This provided many meals for the family. She always made Christmas a very special time. When she sold Avon products, she would save a portion of the profits in order to buy her family Christmas gifts. This was her secret from her husband, as he was very frugal, and everyone was thrilled with the Christmas surprises. Sophia sold Avon products for over 25 years on the Island.

She was an active member of the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, of the Martha’s Vineyard Grange and the Eastern Star. As an officer in the Star, she worked with young girls that were interested in joining the Star when they came of age.

After Alfred and Sophia retired and made the decision to settle in Punta Gorda, Fla., they decided that it would be a great adventure to take their 34-foot Pace Maker to Florida via the Inland Waterway. They left Vineyard Haven early one morning in the summer of 1972. Before they could clear the Cape, the boat broke down and they had to be towed for repairs. Soon they were underway once again, but at the entrance to the Barnegat Inlet, all systems failed and they had to be towed a second time for repairs. This time the problem was major. The transmission broke down and had to be replaced. Fortunately, Al Jr. owned a machine shop and he came to their rescue. Al spent the better part of a week installing a new transmission. A week later they were underway again. Alfred Sr. was a good seaman and it served him well during a storm in the Chesapeake. Sophia told the family how she would stand on the bow to assist Alfred in the navigation while waves crashed over the bow. Sophia and Alfred took three months to complete the trip and they managed to visit all the interesting ports of call along the way.

Sophia and Alfred lived for over 35 years in their home in Punta Gorda and they weathered many large storms and hurricanes, but in August of 2004, Sophia had to face Hurricane Charlie, now without Alfred. A few hours before the storm came ashore, the civil defense and local police were warning everyone to move inland because Charlie was a category five storm and would inflict a direct hit in Punta Gorda. Liz was extremely worried and called her mother to see where she was going to go for the night. Sophia informed Liz that she was going to stay put, as no shelter would allow pets and Sophia had two cats. Fearing for her mother’s life, Liz phoned the local police and threatened that if they didn’t get her mother out of her home and to a safe house, she would bring the Churchill wrath upon them! When the police arrived at Sophia’s home, she resisted leaving but under pressure and some fast talking, she agreed to follow them in her own car. She was 91. The next day, Alfred Jr. was on a plane to Florida. When he arrived, he drove directly to his mother’s home and found his mother sitting in a chair in front of what was once her home. If she had stayed there through the night, she, too would have perished. Alfred took Sophia to stay with Liz in Fort Lauderdale. He then rented a truck and he and a friend of Liz’s made several trips back and forth, collecting what was salvageable. Sophia remained steadfast in her desire to rebuild her life where she lived for the past 35 years. She lived in a FEMA trailer for a year before a new mobile home could be installed and made ready for her.

Sophia had become an active member of the State Grange when she moved to Punta Gorda. Because her health was failing, she hosted the last eight months of Grange meetings at her residence. She always thought of others first. She knitted over 50 lap robes for the needy and for veterans in the hospital. She also had a small business knitting baby outfits and sweaters and crocheting scrubbies. Her scrubbies are famous in Punta Gorda and she had a market for them in Nebraska, Colorado and New Hampshire. Orders for 50 to 100 came in as fast as she could make them.

She exuded a perceptive wisdom, genuine strength of character and a deep conviction of the goodness of others. Her gratitude for the blessings of family, friends and of life was always evident. She had no social mask, no pretensions or self-concerns. She assigned no importance to trivial things. Giving to others, seeing their needs and helping where and when she was needed took precedence for her. Frequently she said that she was prepared for death. She believed that she had been blessed with a good husband, wonderful and caring children; she had faithful friends and no enemies. She made the most of each day because she valued life and realized that the years pass very quickly. A poet once wrote: “Those we hold closest to our hearts never truly leave us — they live on in the kindness they shared and the love they brought into our lives.”

Perhaps she had a sense of humor like Winston Churchill’s. When someone asked him if he had any fear of death, he replied: “I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter!” This appeared in the New York Times the day Churchill died at age 90.

Sophia Churchill is survived by her three children, Alfred, Elizabeth and George; five grandchildren, Todd, Alfred Jr., Michelle, Steven and Melissa; 10 great-grandchildren, Alexandria, Jason, Rebecca, Ryan, Matthew, Anna, Julia, Olivia, Nathan and Jessica. She was predeceased by Alfred, her devoted and faithful husband of 65 years, who died in 1998.

A graveside memorial service will be held at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven on July 10 at 11 a.m. The gravesite is on Apple avenue.

Donations in her memory may be made to the First Congregational Church, West Tisbury, MA, 02575.