Nelly Katzman died on March 9. She was 24.

Nelly was an artist. She grew up in a household of artists and makers, and in an environment of handmade things. From a young age, she developed her own artistic vision that was unique and authentic to her, while embodying a deep sensitivity, empathy and concern for others.

She was born on July 29, 1998 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital to Cindy Kane and Doron Katzman, and big sister Tova Katzman. She attended the Tisbury School and the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School where she was surrounded by a close group of friends. A top student, she was often praised for her creativity, sense of humor, style and independent thinking.

She traveled frequently with her family to Israel to visit her relatives. Nelly’s grandfather, her Saba, was a survivor of the Holocaust, and even as a young child, she asked him many questions to try to understand what it was. This questioning of the world and its complexity was typical for her. She had a fierce intelligence, and while shy around people she didn’t know, her close friends and family delighted and astounded in the depth of her thinking and quick wit.

Nelly was her own person and valued authenticity in others. It was impossible to make small talk with her. A conversation that may have seemed as though it started with small talk would end up as one that shifted the way you see the world.

She was a force of nature: shy, enigmatic and brilliant. She had great comic timing and was a talented mimic. Tall and glowing, she had a unique sense of style that combined vintage with contemporary.

After graduating from high school in 2016, Nelly did a gap year program in Israel and lived in the cultural centers of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. During that time, she traveled to Berlin and China, and walked along the Great Wall of China. When she returned, she attended Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston where she studied film, art history and painting. 

She took her art very seriously and at the same time was modest about it. She didn’t strive for her work to be seen and exhibited, and was very critical of the commodification of art. Her artwork was about expressing her own vision. She took long walks on the beach where she collected seashells that she made into beautiful earrings and incorporated into her collage pieces.

She was a warrior. In the last few years of her life she struggled with mental illness and the mental health system. She always knew she wanted to help people and in her short yet full and beautiful life, she did. 

In 2022, she was a volunteer at Island Food Pantry and worked in local elementary schools as a teacher’s assistant to support students with disabilities through The Bridge Program. 

She loved the ocean and sailing with her father in the wooden catboat he built. She and her mother, a painter, engaged in conversations about art and had a mutual respect for each other’s artistic processes. Together, Nelly and her sister Tova laughed and danced and shared a deep admiration for one another. 

Authentic, insightful and kind, Nelly lived with seriousness, humor and with sparks of joy. She was deeply loved by her family, friends and community. As a child, Nelly once asked her parents, “When you die, do you still dream?” Sadly, she will find out before we, her elders, do. She will be missed. We pray that this next part of her journey will be one of radiance and peace.

Nelly is survived by her parents Doron Katzman and Cindy Kane, sister Tova Katzman, beloved grandmother Dorothy Kane, Aunt Chani Shanwetter, brother in law Daniel Molina, and dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, including her lifelong friend and soulmate Mya Houston.

Memorial contributions can be made to local organizations such as NAMI - Cape Cod and the Islands, 5 Mark Lane, Hyannis, MA 02575; Coalition to Create the MV Housing Bank, c/o MV Community Foundation, P.O. Box 243, West Tisbury, MA 02575; Chicken Alley Thrift Shop; Island Food Pantry; or The Dumptique.