Carolyn Riggs Bernardin, known as Lynie, died peacefully of natural causes on May 12 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital with her children by her side and holding her hands. She was 95.

Lynie was born on Nov. 11, 1927 in Orange to Homer and Alice Riggs. She grew up in North Andover and summered at the family camp on Robbins Island along the Essex River in Essex. Growing up, she often went fishing with her father and loved the opportunity it provided to spend time with him — though she recounted that he had all the luck in catching the fish. More than anything, she grew to love being on and near the water.

She attended Rogers Hall School in Lowell and graduated from Pine Manor College. After college, she taught kindergarten and sports at the Pike School in Andover.

Through mutual friends she met her future husband, Eugene (Gene) Bernardin, the founder of the Bernardin Insurance Agency. For both of them, it was love at first sight. In fact, Lynie had seen a picture of Gene in the town newspaper a year before meeting him and she was so taken that she clipped the picture from the paper and carried it with her. They had four children: Amy, Gene, Dan and Lucy. Lynie said she was most proud of marrying the love of her life and raising four wonderful children who were each different people who she loved deeply.

Gene and Lynie shared their love of friends and boating over many years and often visited the Vineyard on their boat La Mouette. In 1980 they finally bought a small cozy house on Simpson’s Lane in Edgartown.

After her husband died in 1989, she traveled and began to spend more and more time on the Vineyard, taking care of elderly neighbors and making more friends. Because of her love for the Island and her growing circle of Vineyard friends, she eventually made it her full-time home.

Lynie had a great sense of humor, an amazingly positive attitude, loved people and doing things for them, loved anything to do with “handwork” (often selling needlework at local Vineyard stores on consignment or special order), and tennis, which she played regularly into her 80s.

She enjoyed nothing more than going out for drives and a lifelong friend once said that she was born with a steering wheel in her hands. Even at age 95, she would drive up to Amesbury to visit her daughter, which involved taking the ferry and making the drive of more than two hours on her own. She did this as recently as this past February.

Lynie is survived by her children Amy Stone of Plymouth, Eugene A. Bernardin 3rd of New Hartford, Conn. and Lucy Bernardin of Amesbury, grandchildren Phoenix, Kangdrake and Lincoln Bernardin, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Eugene A. Bernardin Jr., son Daniel C. Bernardin and brothers Burnham and Homer Riggs.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Donations can be made to Wounded Warriors Project or the The Salvation Army.