William Gasch

On September 23, 2007, William E. Gasch passed away at Riderwood Retirement Community at the age of 73. "Weegee" or Bill, as he was known in later years, followed family tradition and became a funeral director. His great-grandfather, Francis Gasch, arrived from Germany in the early 1800s and began his career as a cabinet maker. At the advent of the Civil War, he turned his craft to making caskets to bury the war dead. At the end of the war, he left his position with the Federal Government and opened his funeral home in Hyattsville, MD as Francis Gasch, Undertaker. In 1957 Weegee married a young woman by the name of Connie Travers who lived just two miles away in College Park, MD. Together they continued the family tradition as the 4th generation to own and operate Gasch's Funeral Home, P.A. Weegee was a member of the first graduating class of Northwestern High School. His community involvement included membership in the Mt. Herman Masonic Lodge where he became a Shriner, Ruth Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and Tall Cedars. He was an avid subscriber to magazines and especially enjoyed publications from AARP and AAA. He is survived by Connie Gasch; his children Coni Lynn Gasch, Claudette Gasch Lanning; his grandchildren, Carson Groenewold, Spencer, Gavin and Marina Lannning; his son-in-law, Bill Lanning, and dear friends and neighbors Tom and Sue Zukauskas. He was preceded in death by his son, William Spencer Gasch. Memorial contributions can be made to the William Spencer Gasch Memorial Scholarship Fund, Queen Anne's School, 14111 Oak Grove Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772.