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Patricia"Pat" Cassidy, 69, a resident of Albuquerque since 1962, died Wednesday, July 31, 2002. She is survived by her husband, Ed Cassidy of Albuquerque; brothers-in-law and their wives, Joe and Joanne Cassidy of Gurnee, IL, Gerald and Helen Cassidy of Round Lake, IL, Henry and Susan Cassidy of Arlington, VA, Thomas and Nancy Cassidy of Geneva, IL and Paul Cassidy of Aurora, IL; several nieces, nephews and cousins; and best friend of 40 years, Jacqueline Rolfe of Los Lunas, NM. She was preceded in death by her son, Steven Cassidy; and her brother, Thomas G. Howard. Pat graduated from Beloit College with a degree in speech and English. She was the third woman County Commissioner for Bernalillo County from 1985 through 1992. She was known as"the lady with the hat." Pat's proud accomplishments as Bernalillo County Commissioner included securing the funding to make Tramway a 4-lane highway from the city limits to the Sandia Reservation. Pat also reached the first agreement with the Department of the Interior over the ownership and use of the west face of the Sandias. Pat was the only two term president of the New Mexico Association of Counties and successfully gained acceptance for their Workers Compensation Insurance Pool. She was a board member of the National Association of Counties, member of AFT, Kiwanis, League of Woman Voters, American Association of University Women, Eucharistic Minister at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, Central Committee member of the Bernalillo County and State of New Mexico Republican Party and a member of the New Mexico Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She taught high school speech and produced junior and senior plays at Antioch High in Antioch, IL. Pat taught in the alternative high schools in Albuquerque, assisted at Queen of Heaven Catholic School Library and was involved with parent activities at St. Pius High School when their son was a student. For many years, she was a secretary of the Tuesday Foursome bowling team at Fiesta Lanes. She was a longtime advocate of equality for women. As a teacher in the 1950's, she questioned pay policies that gave male teachers additional salary based on their number of children. As a republican party activist, she led the effort to change the state party rules to require that at least half the delegates to national conventions be women. The rule change failed to pass but all subsequent delegations from New Mexico have met this standard. As County Commissioner, she appointed qualified women to zoning and other boards whenever possible. Mass will be celebrated Thursday, 10:00 a.m., at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, 5310 Claremont NE, with Father Johnny Lee Chavez, Celebrant. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Jacquelyn Schaefer, Rosa Martinez, Nellie Montoya, Louise Davis, Clara Otero and Susan Noftsker. Honorary pallbearer will be Donna K. Smith. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Steven Howard Cassidy Memorial Scholarship Fund, Account #45-1331-20 at the US Charitable Gift Trust, c/o The Capital Trust Company of Delaware, 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 210, Wilmington, DE 19808. This is a tax deductible contribution for those who itemize their tax returns. French Mortuary, 1111 University Blvd. NE.
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