Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission paused from their regular business last week to remember their longtime attorney Eric Wodlinger, who died of brain cancer on Oct. 10.

“He was a kind, gentle and unassuming man,” said Leonard Jason Jr., who read a statement. “He always had that grin on his face. Just a happy-being-alive type guy. But his demeanor was really masked by the passion that he felt for his profession and the ardent belief he had in this body, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and what it stood for. His defense of our actions helped to really define the commission more than any other individual that’s ever been associated with this body. He served us well and we as Islanders will be eternally grateful for his efforts,” Mr. Jason said.

“He was a wise counsel who always sprinkled it with common sense — and he often had humor,” said Christina Brown. “I will miss him tremendously . . . He cared deeply about this Island.”

Doug Sederholm, himself a lawyer, expressed awe at Mr. Wodlinger’s professional talents.

“He was one of the smartest lawyers I’ve ever met,” he said. “To me he was a lawyer’s lawyer. I admired him greatly and wished that I could be as good as he was,” he said.

“He was an incredibly effective litigator,” added commissioner Linda Sibley. “If you had to have someone defending your actions he was who you wanted to have.”

Mr. Jason said that he had come to know Mr. Wodlinger, both professionally and personally, over more than three decades.

“His passing has left a void in our organization and I have lost more than a lawyer,” he said. “I lost a friend.”

An obituary for Mr. Wodlinger appeared in the Oct. 14 edition of the Gazette.