Desmond Willoughby Margetson died on May 28 at Calvary Hospital, Bronx, N.Y., after an extended illness.

He was laid to rest in Oak Grove Cemetery with military honors in a graveside service on a glorious day, June 3.

His son, Neil Margetson, minister of the Reformed Church, led the service — which also included his wife Ann, his sister Barbara Watson, his nephews Mark and Craig Watson, and his son Evan speaking and playing a flute duet with his wife Teresa on the guitar.

Desmond Margetson was born in New York city on May 3, 1926, to Rose W., a singer, and Edward Margetson, composer and conductor. He had an older sister, Barbara. He grew up in New York city surrounded by musicians, artists, writers and thinkers. He attended local schools, and after time in the service, went to New York University. He graduated as an engineer, and captain of the tennis team.

His first engineering job was working on the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel with the chief engineer, while playing competitive tennis and jazz piano. In 1950, he married Ann L., and they had two sons, Neil A. and Evan K.

He worked for 59 years as an engineer in almost every engineering field: civil, aeronautical, mechanical, chemical, electronic, human factors, and computer applications, to name some. His avid post-school self-study lead him to the conclusion that there were some basic principles common to all engineering problem solving. He proved this by making original technical contributions to those disciplines, refusing to be pigeon-holed.

Des loved mathematics, and returned to New York University for graduate study in that subject. Subsequently, he became a member of the Mathematical Society just for the joy of it. His well-used personal library included technical books, science, poetry, philosophy, classic literature, and of course everything about sports and games from horse racing to chess to tennis, track and field, and the Olympics. He participated as a competitor actively in tennis, and later in masters track and field events.

In an article written by a co-worker for an in-house publication, the following paragraph appeared: “In 1948, he was both captain and the number one-rated singles player in tennis at NYU, and between 1950 and 1954 he played in the Indoor Nationals, and reached the round of 16 four times — [these] achievements earned Desmond the distinction of being inducted into the NYU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. Over the years, he has kept up with tennis by coaching occasionally, and playing socially. He has become an active track and fielder, and won several national titles in his age group for track and field events over the past 20 years. In ’92, he won the World 8K Cross-Country Championship for 65 to 69-year-olds, and just last month he won first place in the pentathlon at the National Masters Indoor Championship for 75 to 79-year-old men . . .” (April 23, 2002.)

For Des, competition was motivation toward self-improvement, and he truly loved the competitive process, and the training as well. Many will remember seeing Des running to and on the state beach, on the golf course, and circling Waban Park, where he would stop to talk with friends who were hitting golf balls.

Des was an inventor. Many of the inventions of which he was most proud were created for the companies that were his employers, and were often classified. One of his original designs later won an award at an Air Force competition.

Des introduced the tennis bubble in the April 1957 issue of World Tennis. In January 1995, he finally received recognition for this major contribution to tennis. The New York Times published a half-page article titled 37 Years Later, Father of Winter Tennis Is Recognized. Subsequently he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Tennis Association.

He went on to invent a teaching chess set (Quick Master Chess, patented) and a new way to read piano music. He modified the chromatic harmonica and recently re-examined the design of modern tennis racquets, resulting in an article on the subject.

In mid-life, he thought of going to Sweden, so he learned Swedish. He never made the trip, but loved the language so much he translated his four favorite Yeats poems.

When Des discovered that an athlete from the past had not received the historic recognition they deserved, he worked actively to correct the situation, finding ways to publicly honor them. It is important for all of us to remember that all this time Des was working full time, retiring at 81, receiving many accolades and much love from his fellow workers.

Des first came to the Vineyard in 1955. He loved the Vineyard, and came often, making happy memories of the entire Island, living in Oak Bluffs, treasure hunting in the thrift shops and yard sales, and taking inspiration from the magnificence of the Aquinnah cliffs.

Des was a great storyteller, but equally an intense and attentive listener. He was passionate about life and especially proud of his family, including his grandchildren, Arlen, Rosie and Joachim. We his family believe he met his goal as a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, athlete, scholar, musician, inventor, and a person who brought laughter, joy and light wherever he went.