Sandra Silk Gretter

She was preceded in death by her parents, Captain 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, DC, her birthplace. It was here 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, California. Upon graduation, she worked as a medical writer for the National Institutes of Health in the Washington, DC area. It was here 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, Indiana, 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 Mental Health Clinic, and The Society of Professional Journalists. She owned and operated Kiddie Corner Daycare Center, 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 are invited to her Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309. Visitation at Good Shepherd from 10-11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Lupus Foundation of America.