Mary Adele Ditmas Cashman

1925 - 2015

Mary Adele Ditmas Cashman

Mary died August 2, 2015 at age 89, at Bayview Manor Retirement Community in Seattle, Washington, after a progression of heart and kidney failure. Mary was born in Bradenton, Florida on November 26, 1925 to Henry Clay Ditmas and Mildred Schutt, both of Brooklyn. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York, where she graduated from Erasmus Hall High School and then attended Barnard College in New York City. She married George Arnold Cashman in New York on August 11, 1944 and she then followed him on his naval career to Virginia, California, and the Philippines. Stateside again, she and George had their first child, Christopher Clay Cashman, in 1948 as George completed college at The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In 1951, they had their second child, Margaret Anne Cashman, in Marin County, California. In 1954, Mary and her family relocated to Washington State, where they lived near Haller Lake in Seattle.

Mary was a fierce friend and an advocate for social justice. She supported her children's school and scouting activities. She and George took their children on camping trips throughout the West, at first a challenge for New Yorkers. Mary enjoyed musicals, Gilbert & Sullivan, mystery novels, sewing, and gardening. Mary was a member of the Haller Lake United Methodist Church. She also was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and she enjoyed genealogy research. She worked as an election board judge, clerked for Dun & Bradstreet in New York City and San Francisco, taught preschool, supervised a summer youth program, and worked for Ingraham High School's cafeteria. Then, in 1975, Mary completed her nursing studies at Shoreline Community College and fulfilled her long-held goal of working as a registered nurse. George and Mary relocated to Yakima in the 1970s, after George shifted from his career as an engineer to becoming an attorney. They returned to Seattle in the 1990s after George became ill, to be closer to their children. They re-connected with Haller Lake UMC. George passed away on July 2, 1997. Mary later moved to Bayview Manor, where she participated actively in the community. Mary continued to make a yearly pilgrimage hike at Mount Rainier to Myrtle Falls into her early 80s.

Mary is survived by her son, Christopher Clay Cashman (SeaTac, WA); her daughter, Margaret Anne Cashman and Margaret's wife, Barbara Sue McCann (Seattle, WA); and Margaret and Barbara's daughter, Emily Rose Cashman-McCann (Seattle, WA).

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, August 17 at the Bayview Manor, 11 West Aloha Street, Seattle, WA 98119.

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