Nancy M. Cassel

Nancy M. Cassel died at home on June 2, 2025. She was born on July 23, 1939 in Worcester, MA, the daughter of Frank Douglas and Dorothy (Bruce) Mitchell. She grew up in Haverhill, MA. She graduated from Haverhill High School and received her A.B. and future husband from Brown University (in 1961 and 1953 respectively.)

After her son was born in 1969 and her daughter in 1971, she became a stay-at-home mother, volunteering at school, military, and embassy libraries. When her children became teenagers, she returned to school at Catholic University of America and obtained her Master’s Degree in Library Science and Information Technology in 1985.

After her children left home, she worked as a technical librarian at the Sugar Association in Washington, D.C. and as an indexer/abstractor/editor at the American Psychological Association in Washington. After she and her husband retired in Orford, NH in 2000, she volunteered and then worked part-time at the Orford Social Library. She was also a volunteer at DMHC, the Orford Free Library, and a member of the Friends of the Orford Libraries and Rondo. When she and her husband moved to Orford, they knew that they were finally “home”.

Her husband, Navy JAG Captain Carl J. Cassel (Ret.) spent his career in the military which gave the family the wonderful (mostly) experience of sampling life in various locations including CA, PA, RI, FL, VA. Scotland, UK and Rome, Italy.

Nancy was predeceased by her parents; her brother, Bruce; her brother-in-law, Ted Fry; and her three aunts. She is survived by her husband, Carl, of Lebanon, NH; her son, Andrew B. Cassel of Proctor, VT; her daughter, Katherine E. Bristow (Chris); two grandchildren, Samantha and Alan Bristow, all of Newbury, VT; her sister, Susan Fry of Campbell River, BC; a niece, Mary Fry (Kipp) of St. Helens, OR; two nephews, Timothy Mitchell of Nairobi, and William Fry (Kaitlin) of Davis, CA, as well as two great nephews, a great niece, and one cousin.

ARRANGEMENTS: Burial will be private at the Dame Hill Cemetery at the convenience of the family. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, the donation of a book to any library in Nancy’s memory would be appreciated. Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH, Littleton. To view Nancy's Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit https://csnh.com.