Mary W. Cassedy

Mary Emma Whitney Cassedy peacefully passed away April 25, 2016 at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vermont. Mary was born September 29, 1923 at Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire. She was the cherished daughter of John Willard Whitney and Madge Marion (Daniels) Whitney. When she was little, the family moved from Meriden to a small dairy farm just north of Plainfield, New Hampshire, where she grew up. She and her brother, John Carlton Whitney, spent most of their time outside, riding ponies, swimming in the brook, sledding on Read’s hill, and helping their father with the farm chores. At an early age, Mary learned to drive a horse-drawn hay rake as well as a tractor and truck. After attending Plainfield Elementary School, she was a day student at Kimball Union Academy before transferring to Northfield School for Girls in Massachusetts. At Middlebury College, where she majored in French and Spanish, Mary fell in love with David Cassedy from Fultonville, New York. Dave was drafted in 1943 and in March of 1944, Mary travelled to Indiana so they could get married while he was stationed there. She graduated from Middlebury and started teaching at Thetford Academy in September of 1944. Mary saw Dave only sporadically before he shipped overseas; he returned just before Christmas of 1945. After Dave completed his degree, they taught a few years at Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin before moving back east, first to Bristol, Vermont to teach, then to New Hampshire to live several years in Woodsville. In Woodsville during the 1950s, Mary’s first three children, Margaret, Ruth, and Daniel, were born. She stayed home to raise them while Dave worked for the White Mountain Regional Association and later as an aide to Senator Norris Cotton. In 1961, following the deaths of Mary’s aunt and mother, the family moved to the Freeman Farm property on Route 12A in Plainfield, which Mary inherited, continuing a 200-year legacy. In the fall of 1965, Mary’s youngest, Kathleen, was born. Mary raised her children well, with unconditional love and the leeway to take chances and make mistakes, a priceless gift. Mary returned to teaching in the 1960s, first at Meriden Elementary School, and then at Seminary Hill School in West Lebanon. Following the death of her husband in 1969, she raised her children by herself, on a teacher’s salary. In 1979, she took a job teaching at KUA while Kathleen was a student there. Later, when Kathleen was in college, Mary taught writing at Community College of Vermont. As a resident whose family tree has deep and wide roots in Plainfield, Mary was an invaluable town history resource, and she continued her father’s legacy of public service with her many years on the zoning board. Over the years, countless people in the community and surrounding towns have relied on her thoughtful, sensible approach to problem-solving and making decisions. Mary was always fair; even if she did not agree with you, she would listen to your point of view. From her mother, Mary inherited a love of horses and rode all her life, from the time she could walk until she was 80. A few years after she was widowed, she had the good fortune to find Misty, her dream horse, a willing and spirited Arab mare. Years later, she competed in a trail ride at 70, on Mona, a solid quarter horse mare given to her by her daughters. Many favorite family stories involve Mary, horses and ponies, mishaps, adventures and rides, short and long. When she wasn’t riding, Mary was still outside, working barefoot in the garden, raking, mowing the lawn. In the summer of 1980, combining her love of the outdoors and history, she attended an archaeological field school at the University of New Hampshire. This began a rewarding involvement with archaeology that lasted for much of the next two decades. Summers, she could be found camping out in the back of her pickup truck at an excavation project somewhere in the Northeast. She helped excavate Indian camp sites on the Merrimack River, a Revolutionary War hospital at Mt. Independence in Vermont, and the French and Indian War site of Fort Edward on the Hudson River in New York. A lifelong avid reader, with a love of biographies and history, Mary was initially an armchair traveler, but when her children were old enough, she took multiple trips with them across the United States, camping (a love she shared with her family throughout her life) along the way. To her great delight, in her later years, Mary was able to travel to the British Isles and Paris, places she had read and dreamed about all her life, but never thought she would see. Her limitless curiosity made every family trip a potential adventure. Whether running errands upstreet, driving back roads, or traveling the open road with her children and grandchildren, Mary always loved to find out what was around the next bend. Mary is survived by her four children and four grandchildren, including Carter Cassedy of Baltimore, MD, Claire Cassedy of Washington, DC, and Carlton and David Cassedy of Plainfield. From operating “Camp Grandma” in the summertime, for Carter and Claire in Plainfield when they were growing up, to daily giving care and guidance to her twin grandsons, David and Carlton, from their birth in 2002 to the present, Mary cherished her grandchildren. In addition, she is survived by seven nieces and nephews - Carolyn (Whitney) Branagan, Deborah (Whitney) Grennon and Warren Whitney; Tyler Cassedy and Nena Cassedy; Karen Cassedy and Laura (Cassedy) Friend. Wonderful memories of her as a mother and grandmother who always put family first will be cherished by those left behind. She created and maintained a strong foundation and legacy at Freeman Farm for future generations. The family offers their gratitude to Mary’s recent companion and friend, Sue Gallant, and to the staff at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor for their compassionate care.