Normand Machado Ponte of Oak Bluffs died on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after a brief illness. He was 75.

He was born in New Bedford on April 14, 1935, the son of Francisco (Frank) Ponte and Yvonne (Caron) Ponte.

He was married to Ruth Ann (Duart) Ponte and formerly to Delores (Perry) Ponte, who predeceased him.

Normand worked in retail and the restaurant businesses. He was the assistant at Jim’s Package Store and Robinson’s Five and Dime and the cook at the former Boston House. He operated the restaurant at the Mansion House. He also had worked for the Steamship Authority in the lunch counter for the ferries.

You could always see him on his scooter traveling the roads of Oak Bluffs from his home to the post office nearly every day. He enjoyed puzzles, crossword puzzles, needlepoint and bingo. He was active with the Oak Bluffs Senior Center and traveling to Foxwoods on their senior trips. He was a lifetime member of the P.A. Club.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann, and his children: Yvonne Ponte, Pamela Oliver (Wade), Donna Ponte, Bernadette Ponte, Steven Ponte, Anthony Ponte; a brother, Richard Ponte of Fairhaven; and nine grandchildren, Danielle N. Ponte, Tabitha J. Oliver, Kaitlyn E. Bruni, Kasarah M. Bruni, Liam P. Bruni, Kayla M. Bruni, Amanda L. Ponte, Michael A. Ponte and Brett A. Ponte. He was predeceased by his son, Brian N. Ponte, his brother Gilbert M. Ponte and his sister, Vivian Ponte.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery on Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs. Visiting hours in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs will be on Friday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Oak Bluffs Senior Center, P.O. Box 1379, Oak Bluffs MA 02557, or to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.