Darlene P. Cook Pachico, formerly of Vineyard Haven, died on March 14 at Falmouth Hospital with her daughters by her side. She was 87.

She was born on Oct. 18, 1934 in Haverhill and grew up there, the daughter of Willard W. and Esther M. Belmer Cook.

She met her future husband, Francis E. (Sancy) Pachico over a sunny Fourth of July weekend in 1955 while visiting Martha’s Vineyard with girlfriends. They married on March 24, 1956 in a New Hampshire blizzard and returned to the Vineyard to start their amazing life together. With the birth of four children in the first five years of marriage, she excelled at motherhood, making it look easy, while Sancy started his successful career in the Island’s school system.

In 1962, they moved into a wonderful family neighborhood on Skiff avenue in Vineyard Haven. Summers on the Island were magical; the family enjoyed every aspect of Island life. A long day of swimming at State Beach made for an early bedtime for her active children. Darlene and Sancy then had their special time.

After her children entered high school, Darlene went to work at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital as the administrative assistant for Dr. Charles Clayton. Even with a full-time job, she found time to attend many of her children’s sporting events and to volunteer at the American Legion and the Portuguese-American Club.

Darlene and Sancy had many close Island friends and family and enjoyed cookouts, fishing and four-wheeling on the beach. When several grandchildren arrived, they were included in these adventures. After retirement they wintered in Port Charlotte, Fla., where they would seek out small islands and beaches to explore. The sudden loss of her husband in 1988 was devastating but with the close-knit community of the Island, family and her inner strength, she pushed on.

Some of her favorite hobbies included feeding the Island, whether with her legendary calzones at the annual Portuguese-American Feast, a homemade meal for a friend recovering from surgery, baking cookies for a neighbor who had made a kind gesture for her, or making Island chocolates for the American Legion’s Christmas Bazaar. Her dedication to her family and the community was remarkable.

Darlene and Sancy were married for 42 years, until his death. Their son, Gary F. Pachico, sadly died this past January. She lost her newborn grandson, Justin Pachico Crossland, in 1993. Her sister Lucinda Mercer, formerly of Wichita, Kans., predeceased her in 2016.

She is survived by her sister Linda Wendell of Haverhill, brother David Cook and his wife Sharon of Kissimmee, Fla.; and her daughters Lauren Walsh and her husband Bill of Mashpee, Patricia Pachico and her partner Eric Woods, and Lynne Silvia and her husband Jack of Vineyard Haven. She also remained in close contact with the family’s 1972 high school exchange student, Daniel Poletto and his wife Maria, from Argentina.

Darlene adored her grandchildren Shane, Meaghan, Erin, Jared and Suzanne, Kristina and Anderson, Joshua, Kevin, Brant, Chase, and Ramiro and Valentina Poletto. She was blessed with five great-grandchildren Shane Jr., Liam, Bella, Jared Jr., Elijah, and five step- great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held for Darlene and Gary at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven on Monday, April 18 at 11 a.m. A celebration of life for both of them will be held at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs following the service. Please feel free to bring a dish to be shared, as Darlene did for so many years.

Donations can be made to the American Legion Auxiliary #257 or the Portuguese-American Club.

For online guestbook visit www.chapmanfuneral.com.