Gretchen Reilly

Gretchen Augat Reilly, 87, of Cotuit, MA, passed away peacefully at home on March 24, 2025, in the loving presence of her family. She was the beloved wife of the late Richard "Dick" Reilly, to whom she was married for 30 years.

Gretchen's life began in Attleboro, MA, on January 23, 1938, as the daughter of the late Ruth (Healy) Augat and Ernest H. Augat. She was educated in Attleboro and at the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Middlebury College in Vermont, where she made life-long friends who traveled across Europe with her after graduation. Subsequently, Gretchen enrolled in the Program for College Women at Katherine Gibbs School in Boston, where her business acumen and interpersonal leadership skills were recognized and led to her position as Admissions Director and Registrar for the school.

In the spring of 1965, Gretchen married her best friend and the love of her life, Dick Reilly. They raised three children, Sean, Geoff, and Taylor, in their hometown of Attleboro until 1993, at which time they moved to the idyllic village of Cotuit. Having spent many years summering in Nyes Neck in North Falmouth, Gretchen and Dick always felt at home on Cape Cod. One of Gretchen's fondest childhood memories was fishing with her father from his boat in Buzzards Bay on Nantucket Sound. This early experience launched Gretchen's love of the ocean and her concern for the environment.

During the 80's and 90's, she was the owner and manager of Bristol Travel Agency while also caring for her children's needs and education. In addition, and throughout her lifetime, Gretchen was committed to philanthropic interests, community service, and organizational leadership. She served on the Board of Managers of Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, including a year as Treasurer; she was chair of multiple fundraisers for Sturdy Auxiliary and the United Way; and she was also an active member of the Attleboro Garden Club, the North Providence Club, and the Highland Country Club in Attleboro. For many years, Gretchen also served on the Board of Directors of the Ernest H. Augat Charitable Foundation, an organization established by her father, founder and owner of Augat, Inc, an electronics manufacturer.

On Cape Cod, she was a member of the Oyster Harbors Club and the Willowbend Country Club. Gretchen's passion for and devotion to the environment was evident in her philanthropic support and active involvement in the Barnstable Land Trust, Vermont Land Trust, Attleboro Land Trust, and her alma mater, Middlebury College, where she established the Gretchen A. Reilly Environmental Studies Fund. She was a true Patron of the Arts, supporting the Boston Ballet, Huntington Theatre, and the Cahoon Museum of Art, where she was a longtime member of the Board of Trustees. Her support of numerous nonprofit organizations and strong belief in supporting their missions was widely known and appreciated.

Gretchen was a voracious reader, an eager movie buff, an ardent gardener, a NY Times devotee, and an enthusiastic traveler who visited over 24 countries, from Austria to Zimbabwe, with family and friends. Annual vacations to the Caribbean and skiing in the mountains with Dick and extended family were highlights that created joyful memories.

Gretchen was the cherished mother of Sean Augat Reilly, the late Geoff Richard Reilly, and Taylor Reilly Joyce and her husband, Barry Joyce. She was the devoted grandmother of Autumn and Dylan Joyce and the sister-in-law of William, Katie and Marshall Reilly.

Gretchen's family and friends will miss her exceptional hospitality, her astute intellectual acumen, her listening ear, her ability to live graciously even through deep loss, and especially her big, open, and loving heart. Gretchen was "one of a kind" and will be dearly and profoundly missed.

A celebration of Gretchen's life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Gretchen's name to the Cahoon Museum of American Art, PO Box 1853, Cotuit, MA 02635, or to the Gretchen Augat Reilly '60 Environmental Studies Fund, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753.

Notes of comfort may be made to the family at www.chapmanfuneral.com