EAST THETFORD, VT — Eugene Horton Cassidy, the prolific writer and news editor who also spent time as a house painter, bartender, cab driver, grocery clerk and community radio DJ, died peacefully Friday, May 2, 2025, at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care in Lebanon, N.H., after suffering a severe stroke days earlier. He was 70.

Gene's most important roles were friend, mentor, son, husband and, above all, father. (Well then, why don't you lead with the most important stuff? he says. Give me a break! I say.)

Gene was born Sunday, Aug. 22, 1954, in Rockville Centre, N.Y., to Eugene Charles Cassidy, a federal immigration judge, and Helen (Almond), who was raised on an upstate New York dairy farm. The family, including older sister Maureen, lived in Natick, Mass., where young Gene attended St. Patrick's School and sang in the boys' choir. He attended Xavier High School in Concord, Mass., before graduating from Boston College High School in 1972.

Smart and funny, Gene was defined by curiosity toward the world and generosity for the people in his life. From the start, he was an unusual thinker, an exceptional writer and an insatiable reader, though an apathetic student. (Too many adjectives, he says. I say: Too bad!) He nearly graduated from Boston University before dropping out to live among friends at the beach, including on Cape Cod and in Key West, Fla. He went windsurfing and scuba diving, catching lobsters to eat. He worked with Maureen at Anthony's Pier 4 restaurant in South Boston and as a Boston cabbie, once ferrying a famous Celtics player to McDonald's before a game.

Gene was tall and handsome (made shorter in middle age after falling out of a tree). In the early '80s, while eating pizza barefoot at a bar, he met Nancy (Porcella) and fell in love. They were married in 1982 and moved to Framingham, Mass. Gene submitted columns and movie reviews to The Middlesex News while working as a house painter. Margaret (Maggie) was born in 1988 and Charles (Charlie) in 1990.

Under the byline "E. Cassidy," the columns grew to a regular job. Gene directed his zany skewering humor toward everyone from speeding drivers to corrupt executives and moved readers with his observations of daily life, including about his family. Op-eds written by his dog, an Akita named Bob, under the byline "B. Cassidy" were among his many hits.

Gene soon led the night desk in the critical position of news editor, working overnight to shape stories and the daily report. He also shaped a generation of the paper's reporters and editors, many of whom recalled him as a top mentor and beloved source of fun with talent to match. He could be gruff, with a newsroom temperament that ranged from seething exasperation to unbridled generosity and warmth. One former reporter recalled nights "often spent looming nervously over his shoulder as he not so delicately edited our copy and taught us life lessons about great storytelling." He assisted the paper's evolution to The MetroWest Daily News in 1998.

After shaping the news all night, Gene was an active stay-at-home father all day, an uncommon sight in that era. Not just uncommon, Gene's fatherhood was extraordinary. He nurtured deep bonds with Maggie and Charlie that lasted a lifetime. The trio walked to school, to Learned Pond and around Callahan State Park, often with Cocoa the dog. The family drove along the beach on Martha's Vineyard each summer. Their cookouts were huge. (He says: Nice mix of short and long sentences!!!) Gene was very involved in Maggie's soccer teams from youth through high school, including as a coach, criss-crossing Massachusetts in his nine-seater GMC Suburban with a gaggle of girls and equipment. He loved driving convertibles and drove Route 20 nearly cross-country with Charlie and the corgis, Lilo and Louie, in his wood-paneled Chrysler LeBaron in 2005.

After divorce, Gene moved to White River Junction, Vt., in 2014 to be near Maggie, whom he'd helped to get a job at the Valley News . Charlie followed years later, and father and son moved in together in East Thetford in 2021, soon joined by Lottie the cat. In recent years, Gene rekindled an important friendship with Nancy.

In the Upper Valley, Gene cherished time with Charlie; Maggie; his son-in-law, Chico Eastridge; and the Eastridge family. He made many friends while working briefly at the Hotel Coolidge and for 10 years at the Co-op Food Stores' WRJ location. He loved chatting and laughing with colleagues, shoppers and his children in the grocery aisles, where he worked until his passing.

(Hey, this thing is getting too long, he says. I know, I know, I say.)

Gene's final chapter, a joyous one, was marked by live music, dinners with friends and Royalton Community Radio. "All Vermont Music," the Tuesday morning show he launched in 2021, defied its name with three-hour sets that spanned eras, genres and geography. (He once wrote that the show's "eclectic" characterization meant "for God's sake buddy, pick a lane.") He recently helped relaunch a talk show about words and mentored until the end, encouraging a young colleague to pursue the writing she wanted to do.

Throughout his life, Gene loved giving people gifts, silly or momentous. He picked up trash on walks and took it home to throw away. He volunteered, made art, cared for animals and tried to look out for people. To honor him, please do the same.

(OK, Magg, time to wrap it up, he says. I don't want to, I say. But I will.)

In addition to many dear friends and family, Gene is survived by Charlie, Maggie, Nancy and Chico. We extend our deepest thanks to the EMTs who responded to Dad's stroke; the medical professionals at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's emergency, neurology and neurocritical units; and the Byrne Center staff who compassionately assisted Dad's journey. We were so grateful to be with him.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Royalton Community Radio (royaltonradio.org/donate) or the Jack Byrne Center (dartmouth-hitchcock.org/palliative-care/donate). And play badminton. He wanted to start a club!

Come celebrate Gene's life at the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, Vt., on the afternoon of Saturday, June 21, 2025. Details TBA. To send photos or reserve a "Gene Zine," email magg.cass@gmail.com.