Robert Earl Gilkes, 71, of Edgartown, died in his home after an 11-year battle with cancer, on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.
Born in Oak Bluffs on Feb. 18, 1947, to Cooper Gilkes II and Amy (Noyes) Gilkes, Bob graduated from Laconia High School in New Hampshire, then attended New Hampshire Vocational Institute in Manchester, N.H.
Bob served honorably in the U.S. Navy as a helicopter recovery crewman on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War, and was part of the Apollo recovery mission. Later he served as an antisubmarine sonar specialist in the North Atlantic.
He returned to the Vineyard, becoming a commercial fisherman, serving the Island community in various capacities, including president of the M.V. Fishing Club, Edgartown harbormaster, and most recently as a captain of the Chappaquiddick Ferry.
He was also proud to have been a member of the Oriental Martha’s Vineyard Masonic Lodge for the past 20 years. He was a commercial fisherman, charter captain, artist, and photographer, who loved his dogs. Having a passion for cataloguing the beach erosion, he gave his final seminar at the Edgartown Senior Center only two months ago.
Bob was proud to share his photography work and show his wood carvings.
Bob was predeceased by his mother and father, and is survived by his brother Cooper Gilkes III and sister-in-law Lela, and his two nephews, Tim and Dan Gilkes, and niece Tina (Gilkes) Polleys.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Save Our Seniors Program, Akita Rescue of WNY, Inc., P.O. Box 428, East Amherst, NY 14051, or Elder Services of Martha’s Vineyard, Meals on Wheels, P.O. Box 2337, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, or to Hope Hospice, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.
There is no formal funeral service at this time; his body was donated to Harvard Medical School.
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