Cassie Lynn Willett

Cassie Lynn Willett (nee Snyder) of Ashburn, Virginia, and formerly of Orchard Park, New York and Arlington, Virginia, passed away on Thursday April 24, 2025. Cassie was born July 27, 1943, in Buffalo, New York, to Helen and Charles Snyder. She graduated from Orchard Park High School in 1961.

At age 23 Cass was a VISTA Volunteer in High Point, North Carolina. Upon returning to Buffalo in 1967, she re-entered the University at Buffalo where she met Ed. They found a common bond between Ed’s work as a Peace Corps volunteer in India and her volunteer work in America’s poverty program of the 1960’s. In 1970 she received a BA from the University at Buffalo and in 1972 she received an MA from the University of Missouri.

Life is full of choices, dreams and wishes. Some of her choices led to success, others to utter failure. Going back home to Western New York in 2008 was one of her choices. Tom Wolfe said, “you can’t go home again.” She did, and she found happiness and contentment to be back with family and long-time friends.

Also in life you choose a journey; sometimes the journey finds its way to you. One of her choices was to be Ed’s partner. That partnership led her to the most rewarding journey of her life: Motherhood.

As the mother of two sons, she devoted her life to establishing and maintaining a nurturing, loving home life. She encouraged their pursuit of independence and responsibility as character building attributes.

Her reflection upon her 80 plus years is a simple lesson: cherish and take care of what you value; happiness is fragile; appreciate every moment; and do everything you can to protect it. Most of all seek and give unconditional love. Cass and Ed were married for 47 years. She was the mother of loving sons Edward J. Willett III (aka Trey) and Christopher (Judy) and the adoring grandmother of Ben and Isabelle. She is survived by siblings Cole Snyder of Ocala, Florida, Kay Leitzan of Colden, New York, Karen Snyder of Key West, Florida and Kayrl Hauck of Ocala, Florida.