Gretchen Longley was a beautiful lady
Gretchen Fiske Leopold Longley was a First Class passenger on Titanic.
On 1 September 1890, Gretchen was born in Hudson, Columbia. Her father was, a lawyer and former mayor of the town. Her mother was Mary Deare Andrews Gretchen was a late child, her parents were both 40 years when she was born. Her parents had both died when she was only 12. After her mother passed, she and her father lived with her grandparents, the parents of her mother. He passed in 1902. Therefore, in 1905 she lived with her aunt Cornelia Andrews in Hudson whilst being educated at a Ladies’ School in Boston.
Miss Longley came onboard Titanic in Southampton, she had taken cabin D-9. The aunts from her mother’s side, Cornelia Andrews and Anna Hogeboom also boarded.
She and her aunts were rescued in lifeboat 10. When they were rescued by the RMS Carpathia, both Cornelia Andrews and Anna Andrews and Gretchen refused to stay in a cabin as there were other people in much worse conditions. Instead, they slept in the living room.
Gretchen Fiske Longley later married Dr. Raymond Leopold on 21 October 1913. They had 3 children together and settled in Philiadelphia. Raymond would go on to become executive vice president of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital.
After the Titanic disaster she still took voyages on various ships, and ran an antique shop in Philadelphia.
She became a widow when Raymond died on 30 June 1957 and in 1965 on of her sons died at a young age.
She died as Mrs Gretchen Leopold on 11 August 1965 after a sudden illness, but she was 74 years old. She died aboard a ship, the SS Constitution, which was on a cruise, near Genua, Italy.
Gretchen was buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.