<p>The legendary Chappaquiddick native who traced his Island Wampanoag roots back more than 200 years, died Monday.
Gerald Jeffers, a Chappaquiddick native who traced his Island Wampanoag roots back more than 200 years, died Monday at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston from complications following a car accident. He was 84 and was a legendary figure on Chappy, the small, close-knit island situated off the eastern end of Edgartown.
Although he would no doubt shun the moniker, Gerry was a Renaissance man in the true Island style. He repaired cars, ran a small gas station, store and junkyard for many years, drove the Chappaquiddick school bus, plowed the Chappy roads, and was a volunteer fireman and a deputy sheriff for Dukes County.
He quite famously was a master at driving on the beach, and knew the rural roads, fields and beaches of Chappaquiddick like the back of his hand, from a lifetime spent exploring them.
“There is always something new you see,” he told the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine in a 1991 interview.
He was also a master mechanic and started driving at the age of nine. Soon after that he began taking cars apart and learning how to put them back together again. His formal training was at a garage in Edgartown and in the U.S. Army, where he served two tours overseas in the 1950s during the Korean War.
Gerry was born on Nov. 25, 1932, the only son of Gladys Jeffers, a Wampanoag. In a 2001 interview with the Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s oral historian Linsey Lee, he said he never knew his father. He grew up on Chappaquiddick where his mother, aunt and grandmother ran the Chappaquiddick Outlook, a restaurant on the family homestead overlooking Cape Pogue Pond. He was educated at the Edgartown School, later did military service and returned home to Chappaquiddick where he worked as a mechanic and drove the school bus for decades.
On an island surrounded by many miles of soft-sand barrier beaches, his skill at beach driving was widely known and admired. And when other drivers became stuck on the beach, Gerry would inevitably be called to pull them out.
“He can point to every break, and tell a soft spot in the sand by slight shading. He is so good he doesn’t even need four-wheel drive,” the 1991 magazine story reported.
In one well-told story, a pair of summer residents were trying to get their station wagon to New York city in the dead of winter one year in the 1970s. The harbor was frozen over and the Chappaquiddick ferry wasn’t running. Gerry drove the couple’s two-wheel drive car across the barrier beach that connects Chappaquiddick to Edgartown. The story was true, although like many Vineyard tales, it has taken on variations and embellishments through the decades.
In the interview with Ms. Lee, he recalled his early experiences driving on the beach.
“We didn’t have a Jeep, I used to have an old Model A Ford with big tires on it, that’s what I used for beach buggies,” he said. “I think it worked better than Jeeps, because it didn’t leave a track.”
He was married twice; his second wife, E. Mae Jeffers, died in 1989. They had three daughters and a son.
A lifelong ladies’ man, Gerry loved to flirt and had a twinkle in his eye. His longtime companion Cynthia Schilling survives him.
He was also a familiar figure on the Chappy ferry, the small, three-car barge that plies the channel in the Edgartown harbor. It was an unwritten rule that Gerry could raise and lower the ramps and put the chain down, even though he was not an employee. “See you later, Rockefeller,” was his familiar goodbye.
“Gerry Jeffers was a man of very few words. For someone who said so little, he had a huge number of friends and acquaintances,” said Peter Wells, co-owner of the Chappaquiddick Ferry, in a statement Tuesday. “His family gives their thanks and appreciation for the overwhelming outpouring of well wishes, visits, cards and prayers from so many during the past weeks. He filled a special niche in our hearts, in our lives and in our community. He had a good long run. See ya later, Rockefeller!”
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.
A funeral service will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3 in the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown. Interment will follow in the New Westside Cemetery.
An obituary will appear in the Gazette next week.
Comments
The one constant in the 52
Carolann Clynes-Bourne Summit, New JerseyThe one constant in the 52 years I have been visiting Chappy in the summers was the kindest and most selfless Chappy friend I ever had - that was Gerry. I remember meeting him for the first time in 1966 when his mother and aunt baked a wild blueberry pie for us. A true gentleman in every way, Gerry will be sorely missed; and Chappy for me will never be the same because all those years every time I turned around, there he was with a package, a good word and a winning smile. And oh those blue eyes!
I met Gerry in the late 70's
Angelo DiMeglio Oak Bluffs,Ma.I met Gerry in the late 70's while working on Chappy for John Novak.What an Utmost kind respectful Man.Saw him at the Chappy General Store,the Ferry,and some nice peoples get togethers on the island.Always said Hello,Shared some nice conversation and I felt honored to even talk to and know him.I always thought that this man is going to make it to 100.So sad that he left us earlier.My thoughts of him will live on forever and will not be forgotten.Thinking about his family,and his girlfriend Cynthia.He will be forever missed...
There is little I can add to
Horace H. Waters Andover, MA 01810There is little I can add to these comments which characterize Gerry so well. I've known Gerry most of my life and I can second all these comments. The man was known by his smile, whenever I think of him I'll picture him smiling. Rest easy, my friend. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Aloha oe dearest Jerry.
Neicy Nelson Rappahannock Tribe MV Outrigger Canoe Club Kona HawaiiAloha oe dearest Jerry.
Aloha oe to dear Jerry. Truly a magnificent human being. Aloha and Mahalo Rest in Peace Kind regards to the family
I had a house on Chappy for
Robin Hogen South NorwalkI had a house on Chappy for 34 years and I don't think I ever made a trip to the island without a "Jerry sighting." He was ubiquitous - always helping on the ferry and, from all the comments on this article, assisting islanders in need of a ride, a plow or just a warm smile. Jerry was a man of few words, but great strength of character. He will be deeply missed - but never forgotten.
I remember the first time I
Jill Durovsik Villanova, PAI remember the first time I picked up a UPS package and Gerry was so helpful. I tried to give him a tip and he said no thanks, here on Chappy friends help friends.........what a warm and loving welcome! He was one of my favorite people from that day on. Can't imagine Chappy without him, he was everywhere....
No man (except for Jerry) is
Alan Hahn Portland, ORNo man (except for Jerry) is an island. It was an honor to know Deputy Jeffers!
Don't know what to say. I
Carol Fuller ChappyDon't know what to say. I already miss Gerry so much. He was a calming fixture at UPS always greeting me and going right for my packages. Carried the ones he thought were too heavy for me. Recognized me on the ferry. Calm greeting: you back now? Sure helped me out when my son ran over a stake on the beach and blew out the tire. Changed it for no charge while chatting, with much wisdom, about teenage boys. Wish I knew him longer. Glad I knew him the little bit I did. Thanks Gerry
The world is a better place
KRISTEN HENSHAW Wakefield and Vineyard Haven, MAThe world is a better place for all the good that Jerry did in his (too-short) life time. It is a much sadder place now that he has left us. Healing thoughts for his family and for Cynthia.
I loved working with Jerry at
Kim Klitgaard Nichols Tamworth NHI loved working with Jerry at the Jail and also just calling and talking with him. He is missed RIP Jerry
Our family is very sad to
Victor Colantonio Cape PogeOur family is very sad to loose Gerry. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Jeffers clan and, of course, to Cynthia. Without getting too syrupy, we'll miss his short messages, "You got a package," click. We'll remember him in his traditional blue pants and shirt working the ferry, at the UPS shed, the Chappy garage, at the store, driving the school bus, and even pulling vehicles dug-in up to the floor boards out on the beach. We'll mostly miss his friendship of the past 20 years. Gerry lived his own life with a home-schooled honesty. He was an original, authentic, unpretentious personality; his kind is very rare and we're proud to have known him.
Besides his fine manner most
Dale Saltzman Yorktown, N.Y.Besides his fine manner most of the time, he represented the Wampanoag people. Most of us feel badly about destroying Native Cultures and lives. As long as Jeffers was alive and you could say hello and share a moment with him you felt that relationships between peoples were whole. Chappy is a very special place because of the people that respect each other. That is what reflects the inner Nature of everyone of us. We last spoke in the summer when I invited him to do a Tobacco ceremony on the Island cemetery. He said "you go ahead and do it". That was all, now I'll do one next summer in his honor.
Jerry was one of the people I
Tom Osborn ChappyJerry was one of the people I feel privileged to get to know, since I moved on to the island 17 years ago. He new everything about the island, because he saw the history. I will miss being asked “How’s it going today” Most every morning at the ferry.
I am so sad hearing this
Pat Bridges New Bedford,MAI am so sad hearing this terrible news. My family and I go back 40 years with Gerry. I will miss him. My sincere condolences to his family.
A Gentleman and A Gentle Man
Marilyn Mudry & Gregory Burch Lincoln, MAA Gentleman and A Gentle Man was Mr. Jeffers.
We met him one day at the Chappy store while we were in conversation with his grand-daughter, Nefititi. He had us get into his car and we spent the next several hours exploring the Island with him: a memory that we hold dear in our hearts.
On subsequent visits, Mr. Jeffers allowed us to put our kayaks in at Cape Pogue Pond. He even let us into his house that used to be the restaurant.
We were blessed to know him, even if only briefly.
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