Gretchen Weiffenbach Cassidy

Gretchen Weiffenbach Cassidy passed away peacefully at home the morning of October 9, 2025, surrounded by her children Gretchen Jr., Peter Jr., Megan and Jim and her grandchildren Caitlin and James. She is predeceased by the love of her life, Peter Michael

Cassidy (February 25, 1934 – March 15, 2017) to whom she was blissfully married for just shy of 56 years.

Gretchen was the second child of William Harry Weiffenbach and Harriet (née Sealander)Weiffenbach in New Britain, Connecticut. She is predeceased by her parents and only sibling, sister Anne Gail Weiffenbach.

She grew up in Connecticut, with a short stint in

Vermont. After graduating from Old Saybrook High School in Old Saybrook, Connecticut in 1954 she attended Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) graduating in 1958 with a BFA in Illustration and Fine Art. After graduation she promptly moved to Manhattan, NYC to pursue her career. She was a sought after illustrationist for various marketing firms and department stores. She eventually ended her career in NYC working at Time Life where she worked in the Time Life Books department. She is best known at that time as the person who designed the Time Life Books logo and the cover of Ray Bradbury’s books Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles.

She met the love of her life on a blind date in 1959, set up by one of her coworkers, Anne Regina Cassidy (the sister of Peter M. Cassidy) while working at Sterns Department Store. Gretchen was in the Illustration department and Anne was in the Copy Write department. Gretchen and Anne met and became fast friends. When Anne’s brother Peter came home from the military Anne set Gretchen and Peter up on a bind date. Gretchen, expecting another horrific blind date, begrudgingly agreed to go. She did not go to any great lengths to look spectacular and thankfully Peter only saw the beautiful, spectacular woman she was. When Peter arrived to pick up Gretchen she opened her apartment door and was looking at a man that looked uncannily like the portrait she had painted of her ideal guy. Gretchen promptly closed the door in his face, mouthed “Sh*t,” opened the door again and went on her first date to watch a football game with my father, her soon to be brother-in-law Paul V.

Cassidy and Carol (nee Reuther) Cassidy, Anne R. Cassidy, and Anne’s date. Since there were not enough seats in the car Gretchen had to sit on Peter’s lap.

Two years later, on November 18, 1961, they were happily married in Manhattan and quickly started a family with their first and best (can you tell who is writing this?) child (Gretchen Rae Cassidy) on

September 8, 1962, at Doctors Hospital. Incidentally, the same hospital where Peter, his siblings (Jane, Paul, and Anne) and Peter’s mother and her six siblings were all born, as well as the rest of Peter and Gretchen’s children.Gretchen left Time Life shortly after her second child (Peter Michael Cassidy Jr.) was born to become a full-time mother, homemaker, and portrait painter. They moved from their small apartment in Queens to Danbury, Connecticut and had two more children, Megan Marie Cassidy and James Harry Cassidy. Shortly after James Harry was born they moved to Pound Ridge, New York, where Angela Marie Meenan Cassidy moved in with them. From there they all moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut where Gretchen’s sister moved in as well.

After the passing of Gretchen’s parents, the whole family moved to Miami Beach, Florida where Gretchen lived (in the same house) until her passing, for just over 47 years.

Gretchen is known across the country for the myriad portraits she painted and for her prolific work for the Ridgefield Guild of Artists.

She had a zest for life, always had funny stories of her life, with an accompanying infectious

laugh, and was the keeper (with the help of her sister Anne Gail) of all the family history and stories, even the history and stories of her husband's family.

Gretchen was also the fiercest mother on the planet. She was completely invested in the care of her children and husband, her mother-in-law (Angela), and her sister Anne Gail, as well as both her parents and her Maternal Grandfather (Harry Sealander) while they were alive. She and Peter raised the most wonderful people to ever grace the planet (Gretchen and Peter’s words), producing responsible, caring, kind, and successful adults.

Gretchen and Peter’s love story is the stuff of legend. Never has there been a couple so in love, so in tune, and so perfectly paired. They cultivated a cheerful home filled with laughter and joy.

Gretchen’s passing has marked the end of an era and has left her surviving family members forever grateful that we were lucky enough to have had her as our mother.

Mom, may you be eternally happy back in the arms of your true love, reminiscing about funny and joyful experiences of your time here on earth. We will be doing the same about you and Papa for the rest of our days until we are all together again.

Love you always and forever

A visitation will be held on October 24, 2025, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at Washington Memorial Chapel Cemetery, located at 2400 Valley Forge Park Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406, United States.

The funeral service will take place on the same day, from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm at Washington Memorial Chapel, 2000 Valley Forge Park Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406, United States.

Interment will follow immediately after the funeral service, from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, at the same location.