Mary Gretchen Anzinger (Drescher) known to all as Gretchen

M. Gretchen Anzinger (née Drescher) Passed away in Buffalo, NY on July 24, 2026. Gretchen was warm, delightfully smart, spiritedly competitive, and had a wonderful sense of humor — an absolutely beloved mother, grandmother, and friend who could make you laugh and check your grammar at the same time. She was reunited with Richard (Dick), her loving husband of 25 years, who predeceased her in 2008. Gretchen leaves behind a family who adored her: her children, Cynthia Vance (Scott Smith), Charles Wilmoth (Catherine), and Suzanne Antonelli; her stepdaughter, Katheryn Anzinger Applegate (James). She was also blessed with 14 grandchildren who brought her tremendous joy — Lauren, Jillian, and Emily McLaughlin, Jack Vance, and Catharine, Tess and Christopher Wilmoth — along with step-grandchildren James, Anne, and Mary Applegate and Julie, Jeffrey, Lindsay and Phil Vance. She was pre-deceased by her brother, George Drescher (Mary). Gretchen was born on April 18, 1934, in Buffalo, New York, to Mary and Raymond Drescher. A lifelong learner, she graduated from St. Mary’s Seminary in Buffalo in 1951, attended Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and earned her Bachelor of Arts from D’Youville College in Buffalo in 1955. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in English from Canisius College in 1957, and in 1980 completed an Education Specialist Degree in Secondary Curriculum Instruction from Wayne State University in Detroit. For 28 years, Gretchen poured her heart into her role as an English teacher inspiring her students in Language Arts studies. She had a true gift for teaching and touched the lives of hundreds of students before retiring in 1994 from L’Anse Creuse North High School in Macomb, Michigan. Her students remembered her not just as a teacher, but as someone who genuinely cared about who they became. She also shared her love of golf by coaching the high school golf team. Gretchen spent 54 wonderful years — from 1957 to 2011 — raising her family in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, before returning to the Buffalo area in 2011. She was an avid and accomplished golfer, a devoted reader, a passionate gardener, and a skilled knitter, finding joy and creativity in every season of her life. She was also a spirited mahjong and card player—a feisty competitor who played to win, but always with a heart. Family and friends are cordially invited to attend Gretchen's Memorial Mass on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 11:00 am at St. Mary's of the Lake Roman Catholic Church 4737 Lake Shore Road Hamburg NY 14075 (716) 780-7020. To sign the on-line guest book, share a favorite memory or light a memorial candle, please visit Gretchen's tribute page at www.kevinmmasonfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Erie County SPCA or The Glaucoma Research Foundation. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Kevin M. Mason Funeral Home 154 Weimar Street Buffalo New York 14206. (716) 362-0199 Fax: (716) 462-5355 email: kevinmmason@yahoo.com

Mary Gretchen Anzinger (Drescher) known to all as Gretchen

April 18, 1934 - July 24, 2026