Cecilia Ann Cassidy

Cassidy

Cecilia Ann Cassidy (Age 75)

Cecilia Ann Cassidy passed away November 2, 2023 in Frederick, MD. She was born in Brooklyn, NY on August 20, 1948 and lived in Arlington, VA for 45 years before moving to Frederick in 2019.



She is survived by her daughter, Tara Anne Cassidy (Ray Manyoky) and grandson Sean Vincent Gatine, both of Frederick; three siblings: Carol Cassidy (Phil Arnold), of Waldport, OR; James Cassidy (Maureen O'Keefe) of Cranford, NJ; and Patricia Cassidy (Steven Flax) of Brooklyn, NY; four nieces and nephews and a host of lifelong and new friends.



Her career combined writing and housing advocacy. She published articles in The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsday, The George Washington University Forum, and various other newspapers and literary journals. Cecilia was named a 2014 Fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA).



Cecilia began her housing career tenant-organizing at Arlington Village. She worked in cooperation with Arlington County to establish the first limited-equity housing co-op in the State of Virginia. She then worked for The Arlington Housing Corporation, and for James Rouse's Enterprise Foundation. Cecilia was instrumental in the creation of Arlington's first Business Improvement District (BID) and served as Executive Director of the Rosslyn BID for over a decade. She was a member of the Leadership Arlington Class of 2000, and was the part-time Executive Director of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) for three years. She was also named to the board of directors of Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH).



She graduated from South Side High School, Rockville Center, NY and holds a B.A. in English and Journalism from the College of White Plains of Pace University.



Cecilia was a connector and leaves many friends, old and new.



For details about services on November 11 and 12, see https://rollinslifecelebrationcenter.com/