Gretchen Haskin

1934 - 2025

Gretchen Haskin
11/18/1934 - 05/07/2025
Tall and elegant, creative and determined, Gretchen Haskin died in May in Windsor, CA with her daughter and caregiver at her side. She was 90 years old.
Gretchen was born in New Jersey and attended Bucknell University. She finished her bachelor's in English at the University of Hawaii while her first husband, Bruce Baker, worked as a Naval Intelligence Officer.
Bruce and Gretchen then moved to Philadelphia, where Bruce attended medical school and Gretchen worked as an editor for Bancroft Whitney. Upon completion of his medical training, they boarded the SS Cristoforo Colombo with one-way tickets to Italy, where Gretchen's grandfather was born. They spent a year enjoying Italy before returning to San Francisco for Bruce's residency.
Gretchen's daughter, Claudia, was born in 1965. She found ways to balance caring for Claudia with a writing career and went on to publish innumerable magazine articles and a novel, An Imperial Affair.
Gretchen was an involved and fun-loving mother. She and Claudia spent countless hours at the Golden Gate Equestrian Center, where Claudia and her horse trained for shows throughout Northern California.
Although her marriage to Bruce did not last, Gretchen found love again and married Dr. David Haskin in 1970. They were married until his death in 2005, enjoying events such as operas at La Scala in Milan and ballets at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. They also went to her beloved hometown of New York City at least annually.
She is survived by her daughter, Claudia Baker and her grandson Leo Mendes, both of Washington, DC. She will be profoundly missed by all who had the chance to enjoy her dry humor, intellectual curiosity and tireless advocacy for those she loved.