Grace Episcopal Church, Vineyard Haven
June 4, 2022 at 11:00 am
Thanksgiving for the Life of
Louise Helm Bessire
May 18, 1937 - January 25, 2022
Louise Helm Bessire
May 18, 1937 - January 25, 2022
Opening Sentences
I am the Resurrection and I am the Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though she die. And everyone who has life, and has committed herself to me in faith, shall not die for ever.
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. After my awaking, he will raise me up; and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him who is my friend and not a stranger.
For none of us has life in herself, and none becomes her own master when she dies.
For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord, and if we die, we die in the Lord. So, then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s possession.
Happy from now on are those who die in the Lord! So it is, says the Spirit, for they rest from their labors.
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister Louise. We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I am the Resurrection and I am the Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though she die. And everyone who has life, and has committed herself to me in faith, shall not die for ever.
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. After my awaking, he will raise me up; and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him who is my friend and not a stranger.
For none of us has life in herself, and none becomes her own master when she dies.
For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord, and if we die, we die in the Lord. So, then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s possession.
Happy from now on are those who die in the Lord! So it is, says the Spirit, for they rest from their labors.
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister Louise. We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
Isaiah 25:6-9, read by Nicholas Bessire
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Isaiah 25:6-9, read by Nicholas Bessire
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Psalm 23, read by Aimée Bessire
The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; *
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul; *
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; *
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; *
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; *
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul; *
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; *
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; *
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Revelation 21:2-7
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Hymn 382 King of Glory, King of Peace
Words: George Herbert (1593-1633), Music: General Seminary, David Charles Walker (b. 1938)
The Holy Gospel according to John (4:6-15, 25-26)
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’
The Holy Gospel according to John (4:6-15, 25-26)
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’
Remembrance: Paul Bessire, Clay Bessire, Mark Bessire, Fr Harding
The Apostles’ Creed
Celebrant In the assurance of eternal life given at Baptism, let us proclaim our faith and say,
Celebrant and People
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Celebrant In the assurance of eternal life given at Baptism, let us proclaim our faith and say,
Celebrant and People
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Companion Prayer of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross
Give us grace, O eternal Father, that we strive to keep the way of the cross and carry in our hearts the image of Jesus crucified. Make us glad to conform ourselves to thy divine will, that being fashioned after his life-giving death, we may die according to the flesh, and live according to the spirit of righteousness, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord and only Savior. Amen.
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
Give us grace, O eternal Father, that we strive to keep the way of the cross and carry in our hearts the image of Jesus crucified. Make us glad to conform ourselves to thy divine will, that being fashioned after his life-giving death, we may die according to the flesh, and live according to the spirit of righteousness, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord and only Savior. Amen.
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
Welcome
Hymn 625 Ye Holy Angels Bright
Richard Baxter (1615-1691); rev. John Hampden Gurney (1802-1862); Words public domain.
Eucharistic Prayer A
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Celebrant It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who rose victorious from the dead, and comforts us with the blessed hope of everlasting life. For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Celebrant and People
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The people stand or kneel.
Then the Celebrant continues
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.
He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Celebrant and People
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
The Celebrant continues
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.
Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully
receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
And now, as our Savior
Christ has taught us,
we are bold to say,
People and Celebrant
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.
A period of silence is kept.
[Alleluia.] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia.]
Facing the people, the Celebrant says the following Invitation
The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, and with thanksgiving.
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.
A period of silence is kept.
[Alleluia.] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia.]
Facing the people, the Celebrant says the following Invitation
The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, and with thanksgiving.
Hymn 392 Come, we that love the Lord
Post Communion Prayer
Almighty God, we thank you that in your great love you have fed us with the spiritual food and drink of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ, and have given us a foretaste of your heavenly banquet. Grant that this Sacrament may be to us a comfort in affliction, and a pledge of our inheritance in that kingdom where there is no death, neither sorrow nor crying, but the fullness of joy with all your saints; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Almighty God, we thank you that in your great love you have fed us with the spiritual food and drink of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ, and have given us a foretaste of your heavenly banquet. Grant that this Sacrament may be to us a comfort in affliction, and a pledge of our inheritance in that kingdom where there is no death, neither sorrow nor crying, but the fullness of joy with all your saints; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Commendation
Celebrant Give rest, O Christ, to your servant(s) with your saints,
People where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.
Celebrant You only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return. For so did you ordain when you created me, saying, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Celebrant and People Give rest, O Christ, to your servant(s) with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.
The Celebrant, facing the body, says
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Louise. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your
own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.
Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn 287 For All The Saints
William Walsham How (1823-1897)
Louise Helm Bessire of New York City and West Tisbury, died peacefully in Falmouth, Maine on January 25. A Vineyard seasonal visitor since the 1950s, and a West Tisbury homeowner since 1966, she was an enthusiastic lover of the arts of the Vineyard and New York City.
A devoted attendee of Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven, her Friday night suppers with West Tisbury friends always featured Grace Church lobster rolls and Morning Glory chicken salad. Sunday evenings there were porch gatherings designed to bring newcomers to town together with neighbors. Art, theater, films, Island conservation issues and national and international politics—frequently with emphasis on civil rights issues—were important parts of such discussions.
She was born in Louisville, Kentucky May 18, 1937 to Mary Norris Burge Helm and Thomas Oliver Helm, the third of six siblings, in a house called White Oaks. Springer spaniels, horses and ponies were all a part of her childhood. She was a 1954 graduate of Kentucky Home School, where she played field hockey, and a 1958 graduate of Smith College, her mother’s alma mater. During her Smith years, she reconnected with her future husband, Henry Bessire, also a Kentuckian. After their 1959 marriage they moved to New York City and later to Brooklyn Heights where their two sons, Paul and Mark, were born.
In Brooklyn she began a life-long commitment to helping others—particularly those in need. She and her husband were involved in the teachers’ strike of 1968; in fighting for civil rights, and for causes backed by Trinity Church, with which they were affiliated. She was dedicated to the Democratic party and liberal politics throughout her life. Henry Bessire became involved in the development of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Among other things, he oversaw the installation of the Marc Chagall windows in the opera house there.
In 1969, the family relocated to Princeton, N.J., where Henry had become vice president for development at Princeton University, his alma mater. In Princeton, she worked on several Democratic campaigns including McGovern for President and served as commissioner of public health for the city. She was also executive director of Interalp, an international exchange program for high school students. The family returned to New York City in 1980, where Louise ran a food program for the unhoused.
Deeply committed to a spiritual life, Louise was an active member of Episcopal churches in New York, Princeton, and Vineyard Haven. She served as a lay chaplain performing clinical pastoral education at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and was a dedicated member of the Society of Companions of the Holy Cross where she was leader of their New York chapter.
An avid cook, she experimented with international cuisine in the 1970s, but stayed connected to her Kentucky roots by also serving Southern spoon bread and corn pudding. She passed on her epicurean enthusiasm to her sons and grandchildren.
She introduced her husband to the Vineyard in the 1950s when they came to visit her aunt and uncle, Mary and Harold Helm and her cousins Eleanor and John Helm at Cliff Cottage in Chilmark. The young Bessires spent perfect summer days with the Helms at Stonewall Beach and Squibnocket and began renting a cottage in Menemsha themselves. Then, in 1966 the 19th-century house of Mabel Johnson, West Tisbury hooked rug maker, went on the market. Next-door neighbors of Mrs. Johnson’s on Old County road, the Bruno family, who were New York friends, raced to Menemsha to tell the Bessires they thought they should buy it. No one was at their Menemsha house when the Brunos arrived, so Bessire family legend has it, the Brunos left a note in the frying pan to tell them. The Bessire’s soon became the Johnson house’s new owners.
Loving yellow, they painted the house their favorite color. Louise gardened with gusto, as she did everything, growing native plants, and, among other things, a red rose that bloomed throughout the fall, while caring for Mabel Johnson’s famous early snowdrops and lavender croci.
She enjoyed swimming at Lambert’s Cove and floating on her back with her toes out of the water, or skinny dipping with her husband, eating Chilmark Chocolates, and making sure that there were always dark chocolate-covered caramels in the family refrigerator. There were regular trips to Pooles’ or Larsens’ Fish Markets after a day on a beach. She bought fresh produce at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market and enjoyed visits to see the trees and flowers at the Polly Hill Arboretum. The Yellow House was always a gathering place for family and friends, including the Vineyard artists whose work she and Henry so proudly displayed. (Henry Bessire died in 2011.)
She was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction and had a soft spot for mysteries. She maintained her Kentucky roots with Derby parties (replete with mint juleps and fried chicken) and in rooting for the University of Louisville in the NCAA tournament.
She is survived by her sons, Paul Edmond Bessire of Santa Monica, California, and Mark Helm Conlin Bessire (and wife Aimée Bessire) of Portland, Maine, her grandchildren, Nicholas Ollier Bessire, Emma Isabelle Bessire (and their mother, Anne Kaplan), Blakey Hawkins Conlin Bessire and Clayton Holloway Conlin Bessire; her siblings Mary Helm Meyers, Nancy Helm Thomas, Jane Helm Baker and Harold Helm, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Edmond Bessire, and her brother, Thomas Helm.
Funeral services will take place on June 4 at Grace Episcopal in Vineyard Haven with a memorial service to follow on June 11 at St. Ignatius Episcopal Church in New York City. Donations in her memory may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1197, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts; the Vineyard Conservation Society (https://donate now.network for good.org/vineyard conservation/mdonate); or Adelynrood (The Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross), 46 Elm Street, Byfield, Massachusetts.
A devoted attendee of Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven, her Friday night suppers with West Tisbury friends always featured Grace Church lobster rolls and Morning Glory chicken salad. Sunday evenings there were porch gatherings designed to bring newcomers to town together with neighbors. Art, theater, films, Island conservation issues and national and international politics—frequently with emphasis on civil rights issues—were important parts of such discussions.
She was born in Louisville, Kentucky May 18, 1937 to Mary Norris Burge Helm and Thomas Oliver Helm, the third of six siblings, in a house called White Oaks. Springer spaniels, horses and ponies were all a part of her childhood. She was a 1954 graduate of Kentucky Home School, where she played field hockey, and a 1958 graduate of Smith College, her mother’s alma mater. During her Smith years, she reconnected with her future husband, Henry Bessire, also a Kentuckian. After their 1959 marriage they moved to New York City and later to Brooklyn Heights where their two sons, Paul and Mark, were born.
In Brooklyn she began a life-long commitment to helping others—particularly those in need. She and her husband were involved in the teachers’ strike of 1968; in fighting for civil rights, and for causes backed by Trinity Church, with which they were affiliated. She was dedicated to the Democratic party and liberal politics throughout her life. Henry Bessire became involved in the development of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Among other things, he oversaw the installation of the Marc Chagall windows in the opera house there.
In 1969, the family relocated to Princeton, N.J., where Henry had become vice president for development at Princeton University, his alma mater. In Princeton, she worked on several Democratic campaigns including McGovern for President and served as commissioner of public health for the city. She was also executive director of Interalp, an international exchange program for high school students. The family returned to New York City in 1980, where Louise ran a food program for the unhoused.
Deeply committed to a spiritual life, Louise was an active member of Episcopal churches in New York, Princeton, and Vineyard Haven. She served as a lay chaplain performing clinical pastoral education at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and was a dedicated member of the Society of Companions of the Holy Cross where she was leader of their New York chapter.
An avid cook, she experimented with international cuisine in the 1970s, but stayed connected to her Kentucky roots by also serving Southern spoon bread and corn pudding. She passed on her epicurean enthusiasm to her sons and grandchildren.
She introduced her husband to the Vineyard in the 1950s when they came to visit her aunt and uncle, Mary and Harold Helm and her cousins Eleanor and John Helm at Cliff Cottage in Chilmark. The young Bessires spent perfect summer days with the Helms at Stonewall Beach and Squibnocket and began renting a cottage in Menemsha themselves. Then, in 1966 the 19th-century house of Mabel Johnson, West Tisbury hooked rug maker, went on the market. Next-door neighbors of Mrs. Johnson’s on Old County road, the Bruno family, who were New York friends, raced to Menemsha to tell the Bessires they thought they should buy it. No one was at their Menemsha house when the Brunos arrived, so Bessire family legend has it, the Brunos left a note in the frying pan to tell them. The Bessire’s soon became the Johnson house’s new owners.
Loving yellow, they painted the house their favorite color. Louise gardened with gusto, as she did everything, growing native plants, and, among other things, a red rose that bloomed throughout the fall, while caring for Mabel Johnson’s famous early snowdrops and lavender croci.
She enjoyed swimming at Lambert’s Cove and floating on her back with her toes out of the water, or skinny dipping with her husband, eating Chilmark Chocolates, and making sure that there were always dark chocolate-covered caramels in the family refrigerator. There were regular trips to Pooles’ or Larsens’ Fish Markets after a day on a beach. She bought fresh produce at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market and enjoyed visits to see the trees and flowers at the Polly Hill Arboretum. The Yellow House was always a gathering place for family and friends, including the Vineyard artists whose work she and Henry so proudly displayed. (Henry Bessire died in 2011.)
She was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction and had a soft spot for mysteries. She maintained her Kentucky roots with Derby parties (replete with mint juleps and fried chicken) and in rooting for the University of Louisville in the NCAA tournament.
She is survived by her sons, Paul Edmond Bessire of Santa Monica, California, and Mark Helm Conlin Bessire (and wife Aimée Bessire) of Portland, Maine, her grandchildren, Nicholas Ollier Bessire, Emma Isabelle Bessire (and their mother, Anne Kaplan), Blakey Hawkins Conlin Bessire and Clayton Holloway Conlin Bessire; her siblings Mary Helm Meyers, Nancy Helm Thomas, Jane Helm Baker and Harold Helm, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Edmond Bessire, and her brother, Thomas Helm.
Funeral services will take place on June 4 at Grace Episcopal in Vineyard Haven with a memorial service to follow on June 11 at St. Ignatius Episcopal Church in New York City. Donations in her memory may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1197, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts; the Vineyard Conservation Society (https://donate now.network for good.org/vineyard conservation/mdonate); or Adelynrood (The Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross), 46 Elm Street, Byfield, Massachusetts.