Constance Marion Cowan of Edgartown, formerly of New Providence, N.J., died on Christmas Eve, surrounded by her loving family and at peace with God. She was 84.

Connie was blessed to have shared her life with generations of family, including her eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She is survived by her beloved husband, George; devoted children Michael and his wife Peggy, Cynthia Kurylak and her husband Victor, and Chris and his wife Christine; dear sister Doris Jarosz and her husband Stanley; loving grandchildren Karen, Kathy, Laura, Kevin, Kelly, Peter, James and John; and cherished great-grandchildren Kate, Julia, Jack, Hailey, Colin, Sean, Ryan, Audrey, Molly, Morgan, Reagan and Owen. She was predeceased by her daughter, Carole Cowan Dunscombe.

Born in 1931 and raised in Irvington, N.J., she was the daughter of Russell and Viola Bennett (nee Kline). She met and married her high school sweetheart, George F. Cowan, and together they raised their family of four children in New Providence, N.J. before retiring to Martha’s Vineyard in 1994. For the better part of 20 years after retiring, she and George spent winters in Fort Myers, Fla. in the Cinnamon Cove community.

During and after graduating from Irvington High School, Connie worked at Prudential Insurance in administrative roles. Later in life she worked in retail for friends and neighbors who owned a small jewelry store chain in New Jersey. Her real passion came to the forefront when she began her own catering business specializing in homemade soups, a business she eventually passed on to her daughter Carole. She sold to local retailers and their staff, as well as local friends and families, and became well-known around town for her many varieties of delicious soup. She was active with the New Providence Garden Club, holding the president’s position for a period of time, and also volunteered at a local hospital. She continued to give back to the Vineyard community through these same activities when she moved to the Island. She was also active with the Women’s Club of Martha’s Vineyard, who enjoyed her shrimp and potato potage during their holiday meeting just days before she died.

Martha’s Vineyard was love at first sight for Connie, and her love of the Island continued for the next 36 years. She and George came here for a weekend getaway in 1979, and after just one day on the Island they decided to buy their home in Katama — a much easier proposition in those days. They were seasonal residents until they retired to the Island in 1994. Her love of coastal communities was rooted in her childhood summers down at the Jersey shore. She continued this tradition with her own family and for more than 25 years the family vacationed on Long Beach Island together every August. She loved days on the beach, was a voracious reader, and, surprisingly to some, was fantastic at fishing and crabbing.

Connie was passionate about her home and gardens and created a beautiful place to live and visit. She spent countless hours toiling in the yard and her plantings were truly something to behold. She also had a strong affinity for the birds of the Island and her feeders always full. She was a friend to the finches, sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, robins, and many others, however her true friends were the catbirds. When she sat down at her desk overlooking the front yard, the catbirds would come calling, pecking on the window and beckoning her out. She would sit on the front porch, with a raisin in the palm of her outstretched hand, and they would perch on her fingertips.

During her life and after her death, kind and generous were the words most often spoken of her. She took great interest in others and would find small gifts for them related to their interests. She spread her own form of God’s grace through food, and most everyone who came to visit left with her most recent culinary creation in hand. The neighborhood dogs would pull their owners to her doorstep, knowing a treat would be waiting, and the neighborhoods kids beat the same path to her door for cookies. Her approach to life came from a simpler time and reflected a real sense of family and neighborhood. She was a bright and positive influence on all of those around her and her uplifting presence will be missed.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club, mvbgclub.org, an organization she actively supported. Memorial services will be scheduled in the future in New Jersey and in Edgartown.