Gretchen Piscotty

A celebration of life for former LLNL employee Gretchen Piscotty will be held May 14 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore, beginning at 11 a.m.

Piscotty died on May 6 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was 55.

Born on Aug. 18, 1962 in Queens, New York, to Elke and Artin Mikaelian, she was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended Del Norte High School and the University of New Mexico, where she met her future husband, Mike, on a spring break camping trip.

They were married in 1985 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Albuquerque. Following the wedding, they took up residence in Livermore, where they began their careers.

Gretchen started at the Laboratory in 1987 as an administrative specialist and worked here 11 years.

As their family grew, she devoted herself to raising their three sons. As the boys started high school, she began to work at Foothill High School and enjoyed working there throughout their college years.

She was proud of her sons graduating from Stanford, Duke and soon, St. Mary's College. When not in the stands supporting her sons at baseball games, she nurtured their ambitions off the field.

Her other passions included crafting, quilting, rubber stamping and collecting Longaberger baskets. She would craft many quilts for friends and family commemorating their special events. A lover of animals, she adored her family cats and had a special place in her heart for horses. When opportunities availed themselves, she could be found riding and tending to horses with whom she found a natural affinity.

She is survived by her brother, Alex; her mother, Elke; her sons, Stephen (who plays for the Oakland A’s baseball team), Nicholas and Austin; and her husband, Mike.

Donations in Piscotty's honor may be sent to Horses Healing Hearts, Inc. or ALS TDI.