GRETCHEN SIMPSON Obituary

SIMPSON--Gretchen Dow. Gretchen Dow Simpson, the acclaimed painter whose depictions of the American Northeast graced 58 covers of The New Yorker, died peacefully in Providence, RI on April 11, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She was 85. Best known for her precise, light-filled compositions of New England clapboard houses, stairwells, and seascapes, Gretchen built an instantly recognizable visual language rooted in clarity, quietude, and atmosphere. Her paintings often featured the clean lines of traditional architecture and the dramatic contrasts of light and shadow scenes so still they seemed suspended in time, inviting contemplation. Born May 17, 1939, in Cambridge, MA, to Richard Appleton Dow, Sr. and Elizabeth Sagendorph Dow. She is survived by her husband, James C. Baird, Ph.D.; her daughters, Phoebe Appleton Simpson Bean (John Bean) of Providence and Megan Sagendorph Simpson Wolff of Portland, ME; her beloved grandchildren, Ruby Dow Wolff, Oscar H. Wolff, Ezra Appleton Bean, and Joao R. Bean; and her dear siblings Bettyna Dow Donelson, Pamela Dow Brown, and Richard Appleton Dow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your favorite arts organization in Gretchen's memory.

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Published by New York Times on Apr. 20, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for GRETCHEN SIMPSON

6 Entries

Janet Berggren

April 20, 2025

I offer my condolences to the family as a super-fan of Gretchen Dow Simpson's artwork. New Yorker magazines were in my East Coast household growing up and I continued to subscribe in my adulthood as soon as I could afford to. Over the years I saved favored New Yorker covers in a manila folder. When I relocated to the Midwest I decided to frame my GDS covers and hang them in the living room of the our first house. Hours went into grouping the covers into six frames of four covers each. Each grouping of four had complementary colors and represented each of the four seasons. Mats were chosen to complement the colors in each frame. Frames were plain black. I just loved the artwork and lived with them on the wall of our Skokie living room, downtown Chicago office and later, our home in Wisconsin. A long story -- to share just one story of how Gretchen's beautiful artwork lifted me up over the years and brought back fond memories of New England to warm my life. Thank you, Gretchen Dow Simpson! My regards to all her loved ones.

Stewart Gross

April 20, 2025

I loved Gretchen´s art. Sometime around 1983 I was moved by one of her New Yorker covers and reached out to the magazine to see if they would put me in touch with her. I think that´s how we connected, although I´m not 100% sure. I grew up on the Upper West Side, and I was thrilled to learn that she lived in the 80s near Central Park West. I inquired about works for sale and ended up purchasing a drawing on paper of three children on the beach on a non-sunny day, or perhaps at the end of the day after the sun had gone down, with towels wrapped around them to keep them warm. It was very evocative, and I continue to love it to this day.

The description of her work in the New York Times obituary was lovely and insightful. She brought pleasure to so many people through her work. Thank you to Gretchen for sharing her gifts with all of us.
Sincerely,
Stewart Gross
[email protected]
917-903-7260

Carol DeFeciani

April 18, 2025

Hi Jim,

My deepest condolences on your loss of Gretchen.

Sending peace and love,

Carol DeFeciani

Bunny Harvey

April 17, 2025

Wonderful artist and person . Glad we shared some dances too !

Elia and Linda Rihani

April 17, 2025

Dear Jim , we were very sad to hear about the loss of your beloved Gretchen . Our sincere condolences

Kent Stetson

April 16, 2025

I will always see the world in Gretchen Dow Simpson paintings, she trained us all how to see as she did. She also set an example to me for what it meant to be a working artist, and purchased my first handbag 22 years ago setting me off in my career... We had so many fun times and I will remember those dearly. My love to Phoebe who generously shared her mother with her friends, and the entire family and chosen family who celebrate her incredible life and contributions.

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