A pillar of the Island’s Portuguese community and one of the Vineyard’s aquaculture forefathers died this week in a boating accident that has left the community in mourning.

Patricia Bergeron, a retired emergency room coordinator and a former longtime president of the Portuguese-American Club, and Roy Scheffer, an Edgartown fisherman and early adopter of oyster farming, were pulled from the frigid and choppy waters off Edgartown on Thursday.

Ms. Bergeron, 69, and Mr. Scheffer, 77, had been out scalloping in a skiff on New Year’s Day, according to officials. First responders received calls shortly after 11 a.m. saying there was a boat capsized off Cow Bay with people in the water, they said.

The Coast Guard found the pair about half a mile off the coast. Edgartown fire chief Alex Schaeffer said they were pulled from the water, with the help of neighboring fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard, and were in critical condition when they were brought to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

Tricia Bergeron was a past president of the Portuguese American Club and a Spirit of the Vineyard award winner.

Ivy Ashe

Tricia Bergeron was a past president of the Portuguese American Club and a Spirit of the Vineyard award winner.

Ivy Ashe

Ms. Bergeron and Mr. Scheffer were not breathing and unresponsive and, after extensive lifesaving efforts, were later pronounced dead at the hospital, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Friday.

“Our thoughts and heartful condolences are with the families and loved ones during this difficult time. Martha’s Vineyard has lost two pillars of their community which will be deeply felt,” District Attorney Robert Galibois said in the statement.

Ms. Bergeron was the president of the PA Club for more than 20 years, and was a driving force in establishing a number of its annual events and fundraisers to generate money for charities, scholarships and to help Islanders in need.

She was also a longtime chief organizer for the club’s Feast of the Holy Ghost, an annual celebration of the Island’s Portuguese roots.

In 2015, Ms. Bergeron won the Spirit of the Vineyard award, an honor bestowed by the Vineyard Village at Home to celebrate someone who has made meaningful contributions to the Island.

Roy Scheffer was a patriarch of the Island's shellfishing community.

Ray Ewing

Roy Scheffer was a patriarch of the Island's shellfishing community.

Ray Ewing

“She is the heart and the soul of the PA Club,” Jack Law, the then vice president of the club, said at the time.

Ms. Bergeron’s grandfather was a founding member of the club when it opened in 1930, and several other family members have served as presidents.

In 2023, she was honored at the State House in Boston with the Heritage Day of Portugal award.

“I’ve followed a great line of Portuguese women who have been strong and shown me a lot,” Ms. Bergeron said at the time. “It really is a Portuguese way to help and give back to your community.”

Mr. Scheffer was a longtime commercial fisherman in Edgartown and was one of the first oyster farmers in the down-Island community, marketing his bivalves as Roysters.

He graduated from the Island high school in 1966, the same year he first fished for scallops. He went on to become a fishing captain in 1975, before eventually transitioning into aquaculture.

That love for the water was passed down through the family, with several members also stepping into aquaculture and shellfishing, including sons Isaiah, the Chilmark shellfish constable, Jeremy, owner of Spearpoint Oysters, and Noah, who worked with his father, and grandson Matteus Scheffer, part of the upcoming generation of shellfishermen.

As news spread around the Island there has been an outpouring of grief on social media, with hundreds of commenters expressing their sadness and praising the lives of two beloved Islanders.

“Tricia was one of the strongest, kindest woman I have ever known,” wrote Nina Garde on Islanders Talk. “She was a huge help to my husband during his long illness and many med vac flights.”

“Incredibly sad and a terrible way to start a new year,” wrote Nelson Smith. “My condolences to my Scheffer cousins and their families and to the Bergeron family. The PA [Club] will not be big enough to contain the respect and love we have for them.”

The district attorney’s office said a significant weather system blew through the area on New Year’s morning, producing strong winds of about 20 knots and six-foot sea swells

The boat was secured overnight and investigators found that the propeller was entangled by a polypropylene-style line. The investigation is ongoing, but earlier indicators point to an accident.

“Based on this initial information available, the incident appears to be a horrible accident with no signs of foul play,” the district attorney’s office said.