Katharine (Kappi) Getsinger died peacefully on April 7, surrounded by family and loved ones at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She was 84.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y. on April 25, 1927, Kappi spent her early years divided between Yonkers, Chappaquiddick, and Guantanamo, Cuba where her father was the president of the Guantanamo Sugar Company. Kappi’s parents bought Whitherwind on Chappy in 1927 and after that she spent her summers enjoying the simplicity of the island with her sisters, Joanne, Suzanne, and step sister Mary Bell.

A graduate of the Masters School, Kappi went on to attend Bennington College before marrying Gordon Getsinger in October of 1947. Prior to their retirement, they lived their married years in Bloomfield Township, Mich., Pound Ridge N.Y., and at Kapps Mill in Thurmond, N.C. In each location she and Gordon lovingly restored homes that were historically important to their respective towns.

In 1987 they built a new house on the family property on Chappaquiddick, where they both lived their remaining years. The family home was the constant throughout Kappi’s life and she truly enjoyed all that the island had to offer. A talented artist, Kappi painted and studied under Julius Delbos for many of her teenage years and she used to proudly recount that she drove/escorted Thomas Hart Benton around the Vineyard for several summers as he sought to capture the magic of the Island on canvas. She was a founding member and longtime board member at the Featherstone Center for the Arts and was devoted to the promotion of the arts on the Vineyard and beyond.

Kappi was a passionate gardener and took great pride in her flowers both in and around her homes. Many friends who summered on Chappy would entrust their plants to her carefully tended greenhouse each winter.

Appreciation for her sense of interior design and creativity led to the establishment of the Hummingbird in Roaring Gap, N.C., a specialty gift and design shop that she managed with close Carolina friends for many years. Indeed, her success with interior decoration followed her to Chappaquiddick for years afterward.

After her husband, Gordon, died in 1997, Kappi was determined to maintain her independence and traveled with friends to places that intrigued her in Europe and Asia. She remained in her home while frequent visitors, grandchildren, family and friends, took turns moving into her guest rooms during the summers to be near to her and her beloved Chappaquiddick. A truly gracious and intelligent woman, Kappi was an incredible role model to her family. She treated everyone she met with respect and kindness and will sadly be missed.

In addition to her husband, Kappi was predeceased by her son, Gordon Getsinger, daughter Karen Bontecou and sister Joanne Patterson. She is survived by her sister, Suzanne Hopkins, son Peter Getsinger, grandchildren Juliana Pecchia, Lauren Reichart, Meghan Getsinger, Gordon Getsinger and Emma Getsinger and four great-grandchildren, Paisley and Harper Pecchia and Kelsey and Allyson Reichart.

There will be a memorial service and celebration of her life at the Federated Church in Edgartown on July 14.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Featherstone Center for the Arts, P.O. Box 1145, Oak Bluffs, MA 02257, to Sherriff’s Meadow Foundation (Chappaquiddick Open Space Fund) 57 David Ave., Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 or to The Trustees of Reservation, 572 Essex St., Beverly, MA 01915.