Cassandra Hunter Mazza

Cassandra Lee Hunter Mazza, wife of John W. Mazza, graced this world for 49 years, 3 months, and two weeks. She left it and us the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. She is survived by her husband of 27 years, John, a daughter, Natalie Cosgrove and husband Cody, and a son, Derek John. She was the daughter of the late Tom Hunter and Jean Hunter of Waynesville, NC. Cassie was close friends with her sisters, Terry and Tammy, and kept in touch with her family in weekly phonefests.

She was a beloved sister, aunt, wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law and dear friend to a wide circle of family, and business associates. Cassie’s smile, kind humor, bravery, and caring brought light, laughter, and joy to all who knew her. She loved the mountains of Western North Carolina where she was raised. And she loved the beach at Edisto Island, South Carolina. Her home in Virginia was named The Mountain, a tongue-in-cheek tribute to WNC, and a showcase for the products of her many talents. Along with her husband and children she dug holes, built terraced walls, and shoveled mulch and planted flowers; she painted walls, laid floor tile, grouted wall tile, hung sheetrock, and hammered nails. Together, they constructed a deck as a sanctuary and place of peace for the family. The mountain house became a home showcasing her needlework and photography on its walls. From the deck, they enjoyed the deer, the songbirds, and the antics of the squirrels, their woodsy neighbors.

Maybe the fact that Cassie was born in Charleston, SC when her father was in the navy accounted for her attraction to the sea. She loved nothing more than to sit at the ocean’s edge letting the Atlantic waves tickle her feet and lap at her ankles. She yearned for the annual trek to the beach at Edisto and the sun-kissed cameraderie of family sharing the beach, the fragrance of sunscreen, and a pile of fried shrimp.

Cassie loved to shop. She often shopped in Lancaster, PA with friend and confidante Lynndee Nelson. Together they attended Amish quilt auctions gleaning information and inspiration for their own creations. An artist in fabric, Cassie designed and created quilts for each newborn in her family and circle. She stitched quilts for each season and made decorative hangings that showcase her talent and expertise. Fortunate is the person who owns one of these heirlooms. Cassie also expressed her artistic talent designing and stitching original cross stitch patterns. These intricate and colorful works reflect her love for family and her abiding faith.

Cassie’s camera lens captured precious moments in time. She documented and preserved the milestones of her children’s lives and joyous family occasions. Birthdays, holidays, and mundane days are frozen in time. As framed works of art, the house is a backdrop for all the happy and significant moments—a first fish catch, a bride on a wedding day, a child’s inspection of a sea creature, a first baseball game, a smiling husband. A collection of precious moments preserved for all to enjoy and re-visit.

Cassie had itchy feet—feet that longed to travel and see the world. Despite her queasy stomach, she was a born ocean cruiser. She would don her motion bracelets and board a ship. Her favorite Caribbean Island was St. Martin noted for its dual cultures, French and Dutch. It was the Dutch side that kept calling her back –the side that produced Guavaberry rum and the delicious concoctions made using it. Each trip to the island included a stop at the Guavaberry Shack for a libation and a purchase of several bottles to bring back to The Mountain—a taste of the islands at home.

Early in her professional life, Cassie cared for other people’s children so that she could stay at home with hers when they were very young. Later, she found her most satisfying work as an executive assistant who kept an executive’s office running smoothly. She was proud to be an associate at Capital One. It was a job that became a career that she loved, when she was forced to abandon it to fight the disease ravaging her body and robbing her of willful movement and, finally, the breath of life itself.

From the earliest symptoms in 2006, Cassie sought to understand, to treat, to remedy the physical changes that gradually destroyed her muscles. As the symptoms worsened and a definitive diagnosis, ALS, was made, she geared up for the challenge. She read, studied, allowed herself to be tested, probed, medicated, examined, and documented in an attempt to slow, hopefully to halt, the relentless progress of the disease that was robbing her of her artistic expression, her way of living, and her life.

She lost much of her independence and accepted help from others for basic needs. Never, however, did she accept that she could do nothing for ALS research. As a final and gracious act, Cassie directed that her brain tissue and spinal cord fluids be harvested and donated to ALS research. Although spinal cord tissue and cells have been made available in the past, this generous donation—brain tissue harvested within nine hours of death—will open up new, exciting avenues of research by advancing knowledge and the hope of prevention and a cure for this most cruel, dehumanizing, and insidious fatal disease.

To assist in this research, in lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations in Cassie Mazza’s name to

ALS Association-DC/MD/VA Chapter; 7507 Standish Place; Rockville, MD 20855.