Patricia A. Costa died after a brief illness on Wednesday, July 16, at her home, Wee Beech Cottage in Oak Bluffs. She was 78.

She was the daughter of the late Manuel Joseph Costa and Jeanette Peters Costa. She graduated from Oak Bluffs High School in 1954 and earned certification as an executive secretary from Bryant and Stratton Junior College and further certifications in municipal financial administration from Bentley College. Ms. Costa’s career began as executive secretary at Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, included time with the U.S. Dept. of State’s Office of Security and Passports and culminated in serving from 1977 until retirement in 1993 as the elected municipal treasurer of the town of Oak Bluffs. Following retirement, she volunteered through the Citizens Democracy Corps and served as a financial advisor to the Braila County Council in Braila, Romania, in 1998 and again in 2000. She very much treasured her work as a substitute teacher at the Edgartown School and the friendships she made there during the last few years.

She was proud of her Portuguese heritage, was a member of the Portuguese-American Club and travelled to Lisbon, the Algarve, and the Azores. In the past Ms. Costa held memberships in the East Chop Beach Club, the National Arts Club in New York, and the Friends of the Benjamin Franklin House in London. She was a past board member of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and an overseer of the Vineyard Open Land Foundation. She especially valued her membership at Farm Neck where she was an avid golfer.

She was passionate about travel and her many trips took her from Alaska to Costa Rica and from the Caribbean throughout Europe.

She will be fondly remembered tooling around town in Merlot, her sporty convertible, with one of her signature hats perched jauntily on her head.

Her survivors include her sister Virginia Hall, her nephew Fred C. Hall and nieces Heather Hall Holt, Nancy Marshall and Janet Marshall Lee as well as cousins and a very close group of friends from the Vineyard to London.

A funeral mass is planned for Wednesday, July 23, in Oak Bluffs, and burial will take place at Oak Grove Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Oak Bluffs.