Louis K (Wink) Winkelman of East Chop died on his terms, peacefully at home on Jan. 1, 2026. He was 96. He was a man committed to his responsibilities and passions.

Wink loved all that Martha’s Vineyard had to offer. The Island was part of his entire life. He was born and raised in Maplewood, N.J., but his heart was on the Island. His grandparents purchased Kinora, a cottage overlooking Crystal Lake, in 1930 and he started spending summers here at an early age. When he was just 13, he and his brother, Bill, rode their bicycles from Maplewood to the Vineyard. Later, in his college years, he took an uninterrupted walk entirely around the shoreline of the Island. He enjoyed nature, clamming, the beach, tennis, sailing and golf on the Island. He worked at local establishments such as the East Chop Tennis Club and SS Pierce (now Our Market).

He attended Cornell University, where he met the love of his life, Nancy (Nan) Morrow on the badminton court. While he was at college, he performed magic shows to earn money. He graduated in 1951 and then served in the Air Force military police during the Korean War before starting a long and successful career at AT&T. Soon after Nan graduated, they married and settled in New Jersey where they raised four children. He took the responsibility of providing for his family seriously. At one point AT&T honored him for not having missed a single day of work for 10 straight years. Dedicated.

One of his passions was spending time with his family playing cards, board games, ping-pong after dinner and doing jigsaw and other puzzles. He loved nature and took the family camping, hiking and canoeing. He and Nan were avid birders and bridge players. Wink would complete the New York Times crossword puzzle on the train to work and play bridge on his commutes home.

After retiring early at the age of 57, Wink and Nan purchased a 38-foot sailboat, Puffin, and embarked on a 13-month sailing adventure. That first trip took them up the Hudson and St. Lawrence rivers, around Newfoundland, and down the eastern seaboard to the Caribbean. For many years, they summered on the Vineyard and sailed around the Caribbean during the winter months. While on the Vineyard, they enjoyed their shared passions of bridge, birding, golf and hosting friends and family. They were longtime members of the East Chop Tennis Club, East Chop Beach Club and Edgartown Golf Club. He also dove headfirst into collecting shells and identifying them. Another passion.

After Nan died in 2016, Wink faced the daunting task of building a life without her. He did so with humor and humility and opened his home and heart even wider to family, especially his great-nieces, Allie and Abbey, and great-nephew, Nate. At this point in his life, everyone had to abide by his house rules: daily cocktails at 5 o’clock, no cell phones during cocktails or at the dinner table, mow the lawn with laser-straight lines. He enjoyed entertaining them with family stories, jokes and a college song or two. He liked discussing current events with all his guests. A lifelong lover of the mind, he played bridge throughout his 96th year and often completed the New York Times crossword puzzles sitting side-by-side with Allie and Abbey.

He is survived by his four children: Mark (and Suzanne), Jim, Janet and Ann (and Chris); two grandchildren William (Ben) and Sara (Phil), and his great grandson Calvin, two nephews Steve and Bob (and Patty) and one niece Sue Darr (and Kent) and their families.

Wink will be remembered for his intellect, his dry wit and focus on the things that mattered most to him. A life well lived. A remembrance to celebrate his life will be planned at a later date.