James R. Quinlan, 72, Was East Chop Summer Visitor

James R. Quinlan died Dec. 15 at Montreal General Hospital. He was 72. As with all his endeavors, Jimmy left this world with dignity and grace. Although reluctant to let go, the transition was a gentle one, filled with love and guided by his wife and children.

Born in 1932 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he was drawn to the ocean at a young age. He traveled to the Cape often with his parents as a child, and then as a young man with his wife and small children.

When they decided to look into Martha's Vineyard, it was out of a desire for peace and quiet, to enjoy family and leisure without the crowds and noise. In the early seventies, he found what he was looking for and a love affair with the Vineyard began. For the next dozen or so years, East Chop was the summer hideaway, and a photograph of Oak Bluffs harbor was always on his desk in Canada. With time and circumstances ever changing, visits to the Vineyard became less frequent, but it remained in his heart always.

When daughter Kerry relocated to the Vineyard, access was restored and he was able to spend more time enjoying the beach, the island, its residents and its gentleness. Jim Quinlan worked hard his entire life, a Real-estate executive for 25 years, he returned to sales and spent most of his day interacting with people. His pleasures were simple. His wife, children, grandchildren, the beach, maybe a cigar. In the end he had everything that he had ever wanted.

He leaves behind his wife Margaret Anne, his children; Mary-Jill and husband Bruce Butters, Kerry and husband Bill Potter, William and wife Isabelle Halle, and Charlie. He is also survived by a sister, Betty, and his beloved grandchildren, Genevieve and Alexandre, Kayla, Brian and Blake, and Chesca.