Susan Silva

On Jan. 9, 2026, Susan Spalding Silva passed away peacefully at her home in West Tisbury. She was 83.

Born in Oak Bluffs to Philip and Mildred Spalding, Susan was raised in a house on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, nicking the occasional flower from neighbors' yards, an early sign of what would become her life's work. Her family spent summers on a farm off Tiah's Cove Road in West Tisbury, where her deep connection to the land took root.

After attending Abbott Academy (class of '60) and spending a brief time at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Susan returned to the Island and married Ronald D. Silva in 1963. Together, they became farmers, purchasing Arrowhead Farm in North Tisbury and establishing its popular farmstand in 1968. In addition to growing prizewinning vegetables, Susan and Ron raised chickens and pigs, and milked a small herd of Jersey cows. To help feed their growing family, Susan quickly became adept at canning, freezing, and preserving the farm's bounty for the winter months.

In the early 1970s, Susan helped found the West Tisbury Farmers' Market with Susan ("Soo") Whiting and Prudy Whiting. Susan remained a fixture there for 30 years, first selling her vegetables and, later, her flower bouquets from racks of green-painted cans beneath a silver tent.

After selling Arrowhead Farm in 1977, Susan and Ron went on to create Briar Rose Farm on the same land where Susan spent her childhood summers. From this soil, she skillfully and with great success tended the cut-flower garden from which she arranged and sold her renowned bouquets and dried flower wreaths.

While immersed in the rhythms and demands of farm life, Susan and Ron also raised four children among rows of vegetables, livestock pens, and flower fields.

Susan's love for the Island extended beyond the edges of her own garden to the broader community. Susan served for nearly 20 years on the West Tisbury planning board, and volunteered at Felix Neck Sanctuary and the Polly Hill Arboretum. She also propagated plants for the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, and for many summers treated the staff and patrons of the West Tisbury library, Howes House, and Town Hall to fresh flowers on a regular basis.

In the colder months, after the garden had been put to bed and before the arrival of seed catalogs in early spring, Susan enjoyed capturing local plants and animals in watercolor, knitting hats, gloves, and sweaters for loved ones, watching birds at the feeders, and reading crime thrillers on the couch.

Susan was creative, resourceful, practical, and generous. She made beautiful things with ease, loved sharing her knowledge of farming and flower arranging with those who wanted to learn, and grew a fantastic tomato. She believed flowers fed the soul as much as food fed the body, and through her work, she nourished many.

Susan is survived by her husband of 63 years, Ronald; sons Timothy and his wife Andrea Freeman, Michael and his wife Cecilia Mao, and Daniel and his wife Nancy; daughter Andrea and her husband Bas Louter; three grandchildren, Chapin, Emmett, and Lee; and her brother Philip Spalding Jr., and nephew Philip ("PJ") Spalding III.

If you would like to honor Susan in some way, take a walk in nature, smell a flower, hug a friend, or make a donation to one of the organizations mentioned above. A memorial service will be held at a later date.