Edith W. (Edo) Potter, a longtime Chappaquiddick resident and one of the earliest leaders in conservation on the Island, died Wednesday morning at Pimpneymouse Farm on Chappy, after a long period of failing health. She was 91.
Edo Potter wore many hats, in Edgartown politics and in a wide array of areas involving conservation.
She was one of the first architects of zoning in Edgartown in the 1970s. She served as an Edgartown selectman for a dozen years, and also served on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Edgartown planning board, Edgartown conservation commission and the Martha’s Vineyard land bank commission.
She was an accomplished equestrian with a love for the land forged in her earliest years at Pimpneynouse, the farm established by her father Charles Welch in 1932. She managed the large coastal farm for almost 50 years — haying, boarding horses, cutting firewood and conserving woodlands.
In a 2011 interview in the Gazette she described Chappaquiddick in the 1930s. “It was absolutely open,” she said. “There were no trees, there were sheep farms and it was just totally different, but glorious as far as we were concerned.”
In 2010 she published a memoir about her life at Pimpneymouse titled The Last Farm on Chappaquiddick.
Edith Welch was born Jan. 5, 1927, in Boston, the daughter of Charles A. Welch and Ruth Yerxa Welch. She grew up in Marblehead, graduating from the Wheeler School in 1944, then attending Vassar College for an accelerated three-year program during the war years.
She met Robert Potter while skiing as a teenager (their parents were friends). They married in 1947, and had four children. They lived in Cambridge and Concord while Bob was a college and graduate student. Edo took up dog training for obedience and field trials, taught athletics at the Shady Hill School and raised her three young daughters. In the 1950s and 1960s they lived in Princeton, N.J. and Providence, R.I. In 1970, they moved full time to the Vineyard while Bob commuted to Brown University, where he worked part time.
At the time there were about 30 people living year-round on Chappy. But Mrs. Potter quickly became involved in civic life.
Working at her kitchen table, she drafted new zoning rules for Chappaquiddick and took them to the town planning board. “Much to my surprise and delight, they accepted it,” she told the Gazette in the 2011 interview. “Then they took it to town meeting and it passed.”
Later in the same decade she played a leading role in one of the first large conservation initiatives: the preservation of hundreds of acres of open space in the Great Plains of Katama, including Katama Farm and the Katama Airfield. The property remains as open conservation land today. In 1987 Mrs. Potter received the President’s Public Service Award from The Nature Conservancy for her conservation efforts. It was one of many such awards she would receive over the years.
As a politician, Mrs. Potter was a staunch defender of the democratic process.
“I give a lot of credit to the voters. They really have had some vision,” she told the Gazette in a 1990 interview as she prepared to step down as a selectman after her fourth term.
Her quiet leadership drew widespread respect from political leaders and conservationists around the Island. But she kept her own counsel. When Sen. Edward M. Kennedy proposed the Nantucket Sound Islands Trust Bill in the early 1970s, a controversial measure that would have placed the two Islands in a national trust much like the Cape Cod National Seashore, Mrs. Potter opposed it.
“I am utterly convinced that the Islanders can protect their Island themselves if they are given the opportunity and tools,” she wrote in a letter to the Gazette in 1972.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission eventually emerged as a compromise to the Kennedy Bill. Mrs. Potter was among the first to serve on the commission.
As a conservationist, she drew from her deep roots. “In the old days, you could go anywhere on this Island,” she told the Gazette in a 1987 interview. “People were so generous with their property and there was no feeling of threat if a stranger walked through. As kids we wandered all over Chappy and as teenagers we wandered all over the Vineyard . . . Every piece we can save means that someone in another generation can have some of the pleasures that I did.”
She was also an optimist. “People say, why bother, the Island is already ruined. But I don’t feel that way. The Vineyard isn’t what it used to be. But it’s relative. There’s always something to be saved. It’s never too late.”
Flags were lowered to half staff in Edgartown this week.
Mrs. Potter was predeceased by her husband of 70 years in 2017. She is survived by her four children: Mary S. Williamson, Katherine P. Miller, Hatsy Potter and Stephen W. Potter; and four grandchildren: Grier H. Potter, Trip G. Potter, Elliot A. Miller and Whitney A. Miller.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced when available.
This article appears in January 26, 2018.
All our love to all the Potters from the Ewing Family
So sorry to hear of this. Love to all the Potter Family.
So sorry to hear of Edo’s passing. I have fond memories of riding with her kids in the horse shows Pimpneymouse Farm put on in the summers when I was a kid. She was always so nice to all of us and she and Bob were also good friends of my parents. My love to the family.
Edo Potter was a model of civility and honesty in public discourse and will be missed. Her rich legacy lives on to benefit future Island generations.
Edo was an inspiration to all of us in the conservation field. She was especially important as a role model and mentor and was always supportive and encouraging. She leaves an incredible legacy of people and place.
Rest in Peace, dear Edo. You left a legacy of open space, love, and friendship in our community that will never be forgotten.
Condolences to the Potter family…..Edo Potter was a special lady.
Dear Hatsy
Your Mother was a force of nature…….as all Welch women are. I will never forget the first time I met your parents – a true Brahmin couple with a deep social conscience. The Island will miss their wise council.I consider myself fortunate to have been in their company ……if only distantly. Love Steve and Jim
Edo’s passing is truly the end of an era. What an inspiration she was and what a legacy she leaves behind.
Edo was a friend and a mentor to a young conservationist who thought he knew it all. Now, after 30 years of friendship, I fondly recall and appreciate the lessons she taught me and the advice she gave through these many decades. Godspeed Edo Potter.
What a wonderful legacy Edo has left for us all. Another loss to the fabric of our Island and I personally always cherished our Wheeler School connection from the 50’s when I was a boarder in Providence from Edgartown. She was unfailingly kind and her keen intellect and insights were evident in decisions made during her years as Selectperson that benefit us still.
Edo’s grounded energy was as palpable as her reverence for the land. She was gracious with her support and always made me feel so proud to also call myself a female farmer of the Vineyard.
Edo was a great leader of the conservation movement on Martha’s Vineyard and I will miss her dearly. She was inspirational and supportive and took a genuine, personal interest in people. I am honored to have worked with her and grateful for the support that she gave to me. She has left a conservation legacy that will endure for generations.
Thank-you for the wonderful hunting days with Herb,The Harding’s and my self it was so nice to meet you and all at the farm R.I.P.
Edo was incredibly gracious. It was such a joy to hear her stories and to visit with her.
So very sorry to hear of Edo’s passing. She was a great woman. Our condolences to her family.
One of the truly great Islanders!! Her work saved so much for posterity!! An enormous loss for vineyard.
Our conservation hero.
I remember Edo so well during my short time one summer on Pimpneymouse Farm while I interned for the Gazette, and read her memoir with much joy. We had the wonderful opportunity to chat last year. I send my condolences to the entire Potter and Slater family.
An amazing, warm and thoughtful person. Her guiding presence of many years on the Sheriff’s Meadow board showed how land stewardship should work to the benefit of both ecology and people.
I am so sorry to hear of Aunt Edo’s passing. Her life was so honorable and true-she is an example for us all. For me Pimpney Mouse Farm is a mythic place- rooted in respect for the land and reflecting simplicity, fine aesthetics and good sense. She will be missed! Much love to all the family.
I had the great privilege of being the editor and publisher of Edo’s book, The Last Farm on Chappaquiddick, which she started well into her 80s. I admired her so much for her contributions to the Island, her dedication to her family, and her desire to preserve the memories of Chappy that were quickly disappearing. I viewed her as a welcome friend, and I know my daughter Lily Walter, the owner of Slip Away Farm on Chappy (which when it was started 6 years ago made Pimpneymouse the next to the last farm on Chappy), often felt her warm and supportive presence. To say we will miss her is not adequate; to say we will revere her always is. She was a gracious and kind person who made this world better.
Edo was a great friend to the island through her conservation efforts. Equally notable was the friendship she showed my family as neighbors. God bless Edo. Give Bob a hug for us.
The Island has lost another trailblazer – truly one of the greats! Our condolences to all.
I worked for Edo at Pimpneymouse from 1986 until 1988. She never looked over my shoulder but I worked harder for her than for anyone else before or since. Her trust in me was my motivation to do my best for her.
Martin,
I agree. I developed a sense of place working on the Pimpneymouse as a teenager. My thoughts to this day return to the farm (I still remember your brown Dodge Dart that you drove, Martin). I can only wonder how many lives Edo touched but I would guess it is many.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Potter when my family and I first arrived on Chappy 15 years ago. Beyond being incredibly warm and welcoming I quickly learned what a great and special person she was and how deep her love went for the Island and for Chappy. She was “living history” for us, a true voice on how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful place and how much there is to appreciate. Our condolences to her family — she will be greatly missed by us.
Aunt Edo was my godmother, I couldn’t have asked for a better person. The memories are endless and the sourse of great happiness. Love to all the Potters.
A great lady. My guide and inspiration on conservation and public discourse. And oh those many thank you notes. I treasure them all. Thank you, dear Edo.
Shepherding opinions with a velvet glove, Edo was a force of nature. Her smile was the give-away whenever you’d strike a cord with her. Our condolences to Hatsy, Kathy and the rest of the clan.
Beautiful words.
Edo, Bob and the Potters were like a second family to me, and Pimpneymouse Farm a very special place, of which I have many wonderful memories going back 50 years. I, with Liz Diamond and our daughter Hanna, will always remember Edo with great love and admiration for her kindness and community service.
I am so sorry to hear about Edo. I am very thankful to have worked a few summers at Pimpmeymouse Farm. Edo was a wonderful woman and such an inspiration. I have always admired her strength, determination, and kindness. Sending love to her family.
From my eyes, she was a model of what a good person should be. She was decent and selfless; looked out for the interests of others before herself, and was welcoming to newcomers to the island, all the while protecting Chappaquiddick. Her service as a selectman and as a member of the MVC are a model for civic involvement that we should emulate. She will be greatly missed.
What a loss, but what an enormous and powerful legacy she leaves. Always gentle, always kind, ever thoughtful, but always forceful in doing what she knew was right for the island and for the world in many large, and small caring ways. Her actions and her advice were always spot on; she was an incredible role model for so many. I was just thinking of her this morning and wondering how she was, I hope that she had an inkling of what a huge and beneficial impact she has had. Rest in peace!
It was an honor to have known and worked with her and Bob.
For many of the conservation advances and places we owe a debt to Edo. Let’s do something to appropriately honor her
Edo was a superb and competitive Herreshoff sailor. One of my favorite afternoons was an H12 Sundae Sail in 2015 with Edo, Bob and Russ Salisbury in Four@Pay.
Hatsy, My heart goes out to you.I know how much you loved your Mother. My condolences to you and your family.
Thoughts and prayers for the family. She was a very special lady..
So sorry to hear of Edos passing. I had the great pleasure of visiting the farm to look at plants that Edo and Bob had exchanged with Polly Hill. It was a rainy, chilly November day and their kitchen was warm with a woodstove and the delicious smell of soup. That lunch I will never forget. Their garden was like a dreamscape, gnarled oaks, and many unusual conifer trees from Polly. It was the type of garden that was the embodiment of their respect for the land, soulful, simple, and a joy to be in. Her conservation vision was so inspiring, it remains a terrific example on how to get involved, bring your passion and intellect, and make a difference. Every time I visit Chappy, I think of them, and will continue to, very grateful.
Back in the 50’s, I remember Edo riding her horse with her kids past our house by the Katama side. We would be eating breakfast, looking out over the bay. And lo and behold, there was Edo high up on her horse waving! Later, when I was a graduate student, I cleaned her house in the summer. Edo was just a lovely person through and through. She was decent, and very down to earth. Her house had a relaxed atmosphere, and it felt really alive. Her children were all independent and self confident.
In her book, Edo quoted my father, Walter Williamson, from his book “Low on the Family Tree” about his boyhood on Chappy. He spoke of how lovely and remote Chappy was at this time. Walter described the magical times of an island ruled more by nature than people.
My parents were friends with Edo’s mother, Mrs. Welsh. They went to the same Episcopal church in Edgartown. We would invite Mrs. Welsh for lunch after church. She was another original, and was very much her own person. I remember how Mrs. Welsh enjoyed the every day things in life. I sometimes visited her in her little house on the property, just to talk with her. These are just some of the fond memories I have of another time, when Chappy was a quiet, sleepy place and the Potters were one of the main attractions.
Edo and I became good friends more than ten years ago as she was beginning work on her memoir. I have happy memories of her visits to our home, our dog sneaking into her pocket as her coat hung on our banister — he knew she always brought him a treat. I shall never forget her enthusiasm as she cooked us a lunch on her cast iron stove then took us for a personal tour of the island she so loved. I knew her on a personal, not a political, level. What an inspiration! Rest in peace, dear Edo.
Edo was my hero. She was always so kind and gracious. And she was a fierce competitor on the H12 race course! I spent many summers looking at her stern as she flew ahead of the fleet.
A true pioneer on so many fronts. I will miss her very much indeed.
Edo was my hero. She was always so kind and gracious. And she was a fierce competitor on the H12 race course! I spent many summers looking at her stern as she flew ahead of the fleet.
A true pioneer on so many fronts. I will miss her very much indeed.
Hatsy and family. We are so sorry to hear about your mom’s death. She surely was someone we thought and hoped would live forever. Her vision, her spirit, her care, her love for all thing, for “doing good and well,” will live on. She was so instrumental in helping me appreciate the value of environmentally smart planning and how to navigate the “protect and preserve” issues with the need for housing, etc..Our thoughts and prayers are so with you all. Best. Gerald
I have many great memories of days and evenings on the farm with Aunt Edo and Uncle Bob and their collection of dogs when I was a child. Her passing marks the sad passing of an era.
Thoughts and prayers go out to the Potter family. Always enjoyed getting the call to go out to the chappy farm to tend to Edo’s Critters. She always had a bright and welcoming smile even when she hobble out on crutches to my truck after having both hips replaced. Tough old bird not to be denied.Shout out to Steve, erstwhile Katama dairyman.
My whole family will all have pictures of her vibrant personality, the many times she took us for horse rides through the forests of Chappaquidick. I remember one day I found myself alone with her in the kitchen, and she explained how a fruitcake must be nurtured with infusions of alcohol throughout the year to preserve and ripen it. She took it down from the topmost shelf and told me about how she had made it, and was taking care of it. Reflecting on this moment, how people like that give themselves to a young child – I must have been around 8 or 9. How these small lessons, not about cake, but about giving of yourself, stay with one and become the fabric of who you become as an adult.
RIP Edo Potter and the life she represents.
Once when we went to Chappaquiddick off-season, my husband and I went to watch her during an Edgartown board of selectmen meeting, not as some political hotshot but as a serious, dedicated public servant. It was inspirational to see her on the board. She and Bob had us over for cocktails and little necks, and they were so interesting and kind. It only seems like yesterday that I played tennis with Bob at their tennis court. We will miss dear Edo. Our best to the family.
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Edo and Bob were so close and so much a part of our summers on Chappy. We spent a lot of our time on the island at their house. My sister and I rode their horses all over the beautiful land they had. David and I played so much wonderful tennis there with Edo, Bob and Hatsy. Chappy will not be the same without Edo and Bob
Edo was so kind and generous with her time to so many of us.
One of my fondest memories are of Edo, equipped with bull horn and sitting in a rowboat on Pogue Pond near the Marshall Boathouse – teaching, leading and encouraging us Chappy kids on Tuesdays with the Cape Pogue sailboat races – which she had initiated!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Potter family. Edo was and will remain a beacon for all Islanders. She changed the course of our history through her attention to conserving what is best and what is right. We strive to carry on the legacy she has left us.
I have always described Edo as one of the most gracious and kind women I have ever had the honor of knowing. And I fell in love with all of her dogs too. Love and prayers to family and those who loved her.
So sad to see this news.I always felt flattered and special when she acknowledged me and considered me a friend and fellow Vineyard steward. Our Island truly benefited from all her hard work and passion.
Without a doubt, Edo will be remembered as a Grande Dame of not only Chappaquiddick, but the Vineyard as well. She’s had a positive influence on so many lives and the environment she leaves. Condolences & heartfelt sympathy to the extended Potter family.
To Edo, thanks for providing me the basics in horsemanship and teaching care for an animal and land. Many happy memories at Pimpney Mouse Farm, riding and jumping, crashing through the Chappy woods from the Wasque side to get to lessons with Edo on our ponies, and listening to her most valuable advice. It was an amazing time and a lovely magical childhood. Who knew that so much of what Edo passed on to me, I would pass on to my two children who have become accomplished equestrians. Sending many warm thoughts and prayers to all Potters.
Edo was a marvelous advocate for Chappaquiddick. Whether by creating three acre zoning or by her endless work for the preservation of open land we are all better off for her living on Chappaquiddick. I have fond memories of her coming to the Chappaquiddick Beach Club for her daily swim she always made sure to have a lovely hello for everyone. We will miss you Edo.
Edo was a great friend AND the best sailboat crew any person could ever have. For example, she crewed with me when we were racing Dench’s Vineyard 18. She was so good, we tied for 1st place in a 12 boat fleet! Calm, smart, observing, strong and I never saw her make a incorrect move at any time while we raced together. Amazing woman, and will be missed, but also warmly remembered by her friends. We all love you , Edo.
Sending love and prayers to Hatsy and the Potter family. It is hard to imagine Chappy without Edo. When I was young I worked on her farm haying and I occasionally rode her horses. A few years ago, Edo came to my art opening at the Community Center and she really liked a photograph of a painting I put in the ocean. I have to say I was surprised, and very impressed by what an open mind she had! Edo’s love for Chappy will always be a part of Chappy for me. Thank you Edo for all you gave.
The Potter family and Pimpneymouse Farm were central to our summer stays on the island back in the 60s and Edo was the catalyst. Our parents played hours of competitive tennis on the court behind the farm house, and Edo organized all us kids with horse shows and equitation lessons, sailing races in Pogue pond, and encouragement to be our best at any level. She gave us the kind of childhood she had experienced on Chappy – with freedom to roam wild places and seek out adventures. Dear Hatsy, Kathy,Sandy,and Stephen, it’s not enough to say how important time spent in summers with your family was to ours, nor how memorable. We are so sorry for your loss, but know in our hearts that there are traces of Edo carried on in you, and for that we are happy. With love and thanks always, The Brown family (Maru, Scottie, Hunter, Loocie, and George. And Ted, too, surfcasting the shores of heaven’s Wasque)
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Edo. I thought her book “Last Farm on Chappaquiddick” was wonderful; beautifully written and appealing to anyone who has spent time on the Vineyard. I admired her so much.
A kinder more dedicated person would be hard to find in this life or the next.
I have just posted a comment about Robert and then came across this sad news. Again, many condolences.
I think of Edo every time her “drive slowly” bumper stickers are seen on an old Chappy runabout. The preservation of Chappy is a testament to her vision and is her legacy.
Edo was my first employer starting when I was only twelve years old! Working on her farm remains like a fascinating dream in my memory. Hay days with Kevin and Bob, learning how to work with my hands, it was all invaluable experience. Edo had a big impact on my life’s trajectory in a short amount of time. She was great at teaching the value of manual labor and land stewardship. Thanks Edo!