Sandra ‘Sandy’ Silk Gretter

In loving memory of Sandra “Sandy” Silk Gretter, we are saddened to announce her passing on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, in Alexandria, Va.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Capt. Francis William Silk and Ruth de la Colina Silk, and her beloved husband of 50 years, Gary U. Gretter.

Sandy is survived by two loving daughters, Katie Rice (Kevin) and Sara Gorman (John), and four grandchildren, Emma and Liam Rice and Deirdre and Bernadette (Bernie) Gorman.

Sandy traveled and lived all over the world as a Navy Junior, and her fondest memory was attending boarding school for two years on the southern coast of England. She also lived with her parents in Southern California and Washington, D.C., her birthplace. It was there that she attended Bishop O’Connell High School.

She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and sociology at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. Upon graduation, she worked as a medical writer for the National Institutes of Health in the Washington, D.C., area. It was there that she met her future husband, Gary, when he was stationed at Quantico for the United States Marine Corps. Sandy and Gary subsequently married at the Navy Chapel in the District of Columbia.

Sandy eventually settled down in Greencastle, where her husband pursued a career in forestry and where they raised daughters Sara and Katie.

She served her Greencastle community for many years in many capacities, working with organizations such as the Mary Allison Children’s Home, Cummins Behavioral Health and the Society of Professional Journalists. She owned and operated Kiddie Corner Daycare and served as executive director of the Greencastle Chamber of Commerce.

She was a proud member of the philanthropic Delta Theta Tau sorority.

Friends and family attended her Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Alexandria, Va.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Lupus Foundation of America.