Sharon Lynn Edell of West Tisbury died recently. She was 64.

Sharon was born on August 22, 1949 in Wayne, N.J., where she spent her youth and first developed her deep love of horses. After graduating from college in the early 1970s, she worked as a fashion photographer in New York city, a fitting occupation for a young woman of such beauty and style.

Tiring of city life, Sharon moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 1978 and never left. She worked as a weaver and her strong sense of design and flair for color was instrumental in the founding of the Allen Farm Sheep and Wool Company. In the late 1980s she used her artistic abilities to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture from the prestigious Swain School Of Design. She spent the rest of her life as a creative and successful sculptor. More recently, she was a licensed massage therapist and reflexologist and worked at the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven.

Sharon loved the outdoors. She was a fine athlete who excelled at tennis, swimming and skiing, but riding horses was her greatest passion. In 1994 she bought her horse, Liatris, and her happiest hours were spent riding and training her in the art of dressage. She also had a special bond with her many dogs and cats.

She had a strong activist bent and sense of justice. She worked tirelessly for causes she believed in. Her love of Buddhism took her to Mongolia, where she helped to restore ancient temples, and to South Africa, where she worked with orphans.

If Sharon had a fault, it was that she gave so much love to so many people that sometimes she didn’t have quite enough left for herself. She is deeply missed by many, many people from all walks of life.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 on Lambert’s Cove Beach. A gathering will follow from 3 to 6 p.m. at 263 Daggett avenue in Vineyard Haven.