Benjamin Bentley Hubert died peacefully on Jan. 4. He was 97 and had been a longtime summer resident of Aquinnah where he owned a home off Lighthouse Road.

He was born on Nov. 15, 1920 in Jamaica, N.Y., the son of James and Mary Hubert. His family had a remarkable and rich heritage. He was the grandson of a Georgia slave who with his family became the first African-American landowners in the area of Sparta, Ga., and who saw to it that all of his 12 children went on to college.

His father was a remarkable, idealistic man who was a dedicated advocate of racial equality and education. Benjamin was educated in New York city public schools. He went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in business administration (majoring in accounting) from West Virginia State University after spending a short period at Morehouse College. Later on he earned a master’s degree in his field. Benjamin loved mathematics and used his analytical capacity in pursuit of many financial interests.

He was blessed with an outstanding intellect, which served him well in his career as a special agent for the intelligence division of the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service from which he later retired. During his service, he earned citations for his excellent work.

He loved sailing, playing chess and became an avid and excellent tennis player. He earned recognition as a competitive swimmer during his school years. Throughout most of his life he showed interest in joining clubs and organizations, except for The Fellas where later he enjoyed emeritus status. He enlisted in the United States Army (Army Air-Force base unit) where he proudly served from Dec. 2, 1942 to Oct. 22, 1945 and was granted an honorable discharge.

Benjamin’s legacy is better expressed in the ways in which he lived a full life of character and integrity. He enjoyed the company of family, friends and neighbors around his swimming pool and on his tennis court on Martha’s Vineyard where from childhood he spent many precious years to the very end of long and blessed life.

He is survived by a loving family that includes his wife, Lucile Hubert; Lucile’s nieces and nephews Sharon and Larry Bass, Darryl Harris, Michelle Neal and Antoinette, Mark and Charles Abston, Judge James Hubert and niece in law Jody Hubert, Jamie Hubert and Sheryl Brooks-Scott; friend Mamie Johnson; godson John Skipper and family; a host of grandnieces and nephews, as well as cousins; extended family, the Brown family; close friends and acquaintances.

Although his light has gone out, his glow will remain forever in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.