Martha Moore Schmidt died Sept. 25 with family by her side. She was 90.

Known as Martha, Mar, or affectionately, Mouse, she was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many. Generous of heart, with wisdom, wit and intuition she welcomed all into her realm, two-legged and four-legged. She was a joy to be with, having an inspiring and optimistic spirit, a love of laughter and adventure, and deep generosity. Her love was all-encompassing.

She was born in Tarrytown, N.Y., on Dec. 2, 1929, to Frederick Lee Moore and Ruth Chandler Moore. She grew up in the Ardsley Park area of Irvington, N.Y. and summered in Vineyard Haven. She attended the Masters School and Bradford Junior College. After graduation, she worked for Pathé News in New York City, and often commented how she reveled in her newfound independence there. She was an avid reader of fiction and current events.

She met Charles (Chuck) Wilson Schmidt on Martha’s Vineyard through sailing connections, and they married in 1951. He was attracted to her sense of fun and sparkling joy. They shared many new homes throughout his career, including in New York, Rochester N.Y., Menlo Park Calif., Philadelphia, Pa., Ardsley Park, N.Y., Wayland and finally West Tisbury. She faced the challenge of finding a house and new schools every four years, but particularly enjoyed returning to her childhood home in Ardsley Park and spending every summer on the Vineyard.

Her Island roots were deep, beginning with her grandfather, whose Luxemoor Leather Company in Vineyard Haven was funded by William Barry Owen in 1905. Her father spent part of his youth there, after which the family moved away, returning to West Chop every summer. In 1950 they moved up-Island to Seven Gates Farm where on the lawn facing Vineyard Sound, Chuck asked Martha to marry him. Her brother Chandler Moore was well known and loved as an Island character and a fine marine artist. Her other brother Lee Moore and his sons also summered on the Vineyard. Lee was a decorated Navy pilot in World War II. When Martha was 13, the family got a call from Lee who surprisingly showed up for pilot training at the Vineyard airport. Martha’s eyes sparkled when she told stories of visits from him and his handsome Navy air crew members.

She often said, “Salt water cures everything.” Growing up on West Chop, she learned to sail in Beetlecats at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, and moved up to racing VH-15s with her friends and brothers. While she loved one-design sailboats in Vineyard waters or bareboating in the Caribbean, she was just as happy on a Sunfish in Vineyard Sound, or when accompanied by her dogs Kinsale, Gillie or Lily. On her 80th birthday, rather than having a fancy party, she wanted to go snorkeling. Skinny dipping was a multi-generational family tradition.

Martha was actively involved with the West Tisbury Congregational Church. Nature called to her, and she could not hurt a living thing. She was a creative and magical gardener and avid member of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, known among others things for her annual daffodil walk at Seven Gates Farm, complete with her broccoli sandwiches and lemonade. Her love of nature inspired her children to be plant specialists, teachers and land and ocean conservationists.

A friend and advisor to all, she was a great correspondent, sending letters and clippings and enjoying the return post. She especially liked receiving funny and witty missives, and was a paragon of hosting and creating gathering spaces for family, extended family, weddings, business associates, and Friday trips with Vineyard friends to the Boston Symphony. She was renowned for her beach picnics, and loved handing out treats — cheese and crackers, Humphrey’s cookies, Dove bars, dog biscuits, or the Schmidt famous rum drink, the Lipschmacker. She was an extraordinarily thoughtful gift-giver.

Beyond sailing, she was accomplished at many other sports and games, including tennis, alpine and cross-country skiing, hiking and golf. She beat everybody body surfing a wave furthest up the beach. She loved sledding, even though she once broke her neck tobogganing at night. She was a mean gin rummy player. She was a trouper and would never complain, not even during a glacial ski expedition in Switzerland when she fell 50 feet deep into a crevasse, finally caught upside-down, hanging by her skis.

She will be missed by family and friends, and a large fan club of fellow church-goers, garden club associates, friends from Chuck’s business and philanthropic ventures, shopkeepers, gardeners, painters, carpenters, plumbers, cleaners and many more.

She is survived by her children Anne Schmidt Stites, Lee Schmidt Shorey, Will Schmidt and his wife Katie, Heidi Schmidt LaLiberte and her husband Rusty; grandchildren Parker Shorey, Bethany Shorey, Miles Shorey, Eleanor Schmidt, Peter Schmidt and his wife Kayla, Winnifred Schmidt; nephews Charles and Chris Moore and his family. She was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Chuck, her brothers, Lee and Chan, and two wonderful sons in law, Jack Stites and Phil Shorey.

Donations can be made to the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, P.O. Box 3000/PMB 3111, West Tisbury, MA 02575, or a favorite Vineyard organization.

A service and celebration of her life will be held when we are all able to freely gather again.