Hundreds of people gathered at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury on Saturday to celebrate the life of Janet Messineo, the respected Island angler, taxidermist and writer.
Ms. Messineo died in December at the age of 76 at her home in Vineyard Haven.
Friends and family at the service talked about Ms. Messineo’s kindness and how it shaped their own lives. Members of the fishing community and friends who, like Ms. Messineo, dealt with addiction spoke to the encouragement she gave them.
Ms. Messineo’s husband Tristan Israel was touched by the outpouring of affection from the overflowing crowd.
“I knew she was well known and beloved, but I had no inkling of the depth and breadth of it,” he said.
Ms. Messineo was born in Lawrence and grew up in nearby Salem, N.H., the daughter of mill workers. She left home at 18, setting out for Provincetown with hopes of becoming an artist.
When the Cape Cod dream didn’t work out, she eventually made her way to Martha’s Vineyard, where she worked in restaurant jobs and found the artistic community she sought.
Many of Ms. Messineo’s works were on display at the Agricultural Hall Satuday.
One of Ms. Messineo’s claims to fame was she was one of the only taxidermists on an Island known for its fish and game. Her mounted striped bass, albacore, ducks and even horseshoe crabs all graced the Agricultural Hall for attendees.
Another table offered gifts from Ms. Messineo to guests. Known far and wide for her memoir, Casting into the Light, Ms. Messineo had books from her library for people to take, as well as fishing lures.
Next to the lures were bandaids for anyone who caught their hand on a hook, and a sign that encouraged people to swap lures and stories with each other and to “keep at it until the miracle happens.”
The crowd was dotted with people wearing jackets and vests from the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, the beloved fishing competition that Ms. Messineo regularly competed in. Ms. Messineo is in the Derby’s hall of fame and rang the bell that signaled the start of the event this past September.
In the main hall, a slideshow of photos of Ms. Messineo played above the benches and tables set out for guests. Local shellfish was served and the soft sound of shucking shells accompanied the speeches given in Ms. Messineo’s honor.
Ms. Messineo was one of the Island’s only taxidermists.
— Joshua Robinson-White
Mr. Israel thanked those who had supported Ms. Messineo and himself in her time dealing with ALS. Mr. Israel said that throughout Ms. Messineo’s life on the Island, fishing was the main focus.
“The first thing she thought about when she woke up was fishing,” he said.
Ms. Messineo touched several other communities during her time on the Vineyard, including many in the Island’s recovery community. Ms. Messineo wrote candidly about her substance abuse, and got sober in 1985.
“She met so many people, not just in the fishing world, but in the recovery world,” Mr. Israel said. “I’ll meet someone who met her once and they tell me stories.”
Mr. Israel played a selection of songs, most of which were written about his wife, including the songs Janet’s Song (or Song for a Fisherman) and The Honeymoon Overture.
After the band played, Mr. Israel invited community members to speak about their relationships with Ms. Messineo. Many of those who spoke knew her through fishing. Wilson Kerr, a member of the Derby committee, shared a poem, called The Light She Cast With, that he wrote on behalf of the committee. The poem was included in the Derby’s annual booklet to celebrate Ms. Messineo.
Historian Linsey Lee talks to the crowd.
— Joshua Robinson-White
“We didn’t know it at the time, but it became sort of our last word from the committee to Janet before she left us,” Mr. Kerr said.
Family members also spoke about the role Ms. Messineo played in their lives. Two of her nephews spoke to their aunt’s kindness.
“Through all the hyperactivity in my life, she channeled me,” said Thomas Messineo. “She’s fishing up there in the sea of heaven.”
Joe Messineo recalled his last visit with his aunt, noting her sense of humor about her ALS diagnosis. He took her to different spots around the Island that she had taken him when he was a child.
“I love her,” he said. “She’s a big part of my life that’s always going to be there, but there’s definitely a hole in my heart.”
