Nancy Morrow Winkelman of East Chop died July 4 at Massachusetts General Hospital due to complications following surgery. She was 84.

Openly friendly, Nancy (Nan) had a ready smile for everyone. She was born in Plymouth, Mich. on April 14, 1932. While an adolescent, she loved riding her horse, Dutchess, and riding became a favorite activity for years. She attended Cornell University, where she met the love of her life, Louis (Wink) Winkelman. She graduated in 1954 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics with an interior design major. Shortly after graduation, she and Wink were married and settled in New Jersey, where they raised their four children.

In the 1960s, when all the kids were in school, she earned a degree from the New York School of Design in New York city and started her own interior design business. She and Wink lived in New Providence and then Chatham, N.J. for many years. And they summered every year on East Chop until they became full time residents in 1991.

Nan loved life and had many hobbies. She often said that the highlight of her life was the year she and Wink spent cruising the eastern seaboard and Caribbean, living aboard their 38-foot sailboat named Puffin. In addition to sailing, she had a passion for gardening, golf, bridge, horseback riding, entertaining family and friends, and sewing and other handiwork. She sewed clothes for the kids and curtains for the house, made braided and hooked rugs, and designed and embroidered needlepoint pillows. Her home and boat were always full of her handmade items. Nan also enjoyed her hobbies by participating in numerous clubs and nonprofit groups including the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, Polly Hill Arboretum, Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society, Edgartown Golf Club, East Chop Beach Club, and the East Chop Tennis Club.

She is survived by her husband of 62 years; her sister Ann Morrow Spencer; her brother Andrew Morrow; her four children: Mark Winkelman and his wife Suzanne; James Winkelman; Janet Winkelman; and Ann Winkelman and her husband Chris Meras; and two grandchildren, William and Sara.

Memorial donations may be made to Polly Hill Arboretum. A celebration of her life will be announced at a later date.