In memoriam: Cassie Heppner
Friends, family, and colleagues mourn the victim of last week's Timberland HQ murder
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The victim of the February 9 murder at Timberland‘s New Hampshire headquarters has been identified as Catherine “Cassie” Heppner, 46, a director of marketing at the outdoor apparel and footwear company. Heppner had worked as a senior marketing manager at Timberland for more than 10 years before assuming her role as director of marketing for Timberland PRO, a job she held for five years until her death this month, allegedly at the hands of a 20-year-old security guard. A motive for the crime has not been disclosed by police.
A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Heppner was married with a young son and enjoyed all things outdoors—hiking, skiing, climbing, and camping. She was born in Katonah, N.Y., on March 2, 1973 and showed signs of intelligence and ambition from a young age. She was president of her high school class, captain of the lacrosse and field hockey teams, and a dedicated volunteer in her community.
“Depending on the season, you could find Cassie shredding ‘Dream Maker’ at Sunday River Resort in Maine with her husband, Mike, and son, Jack; wakeboarding on Northwood Lake in New Hampshire; or cheering for the Yankees while wearing a Red Sox jersey,” her obituary at Stockbridge Funeral Home reads.
To honor Heppner’s memory, her family has created a scholarship through Outward Bound USA “to provide opportunities for young women to reach new heights through challenging experiences in the outdoors.”
Timberland’s headquarters closed down for more than a week following the tragedy. This Monday, employees returned to work.
“Cassie was a smart, talented and passionate leader of the Timberland PRO marketing team,” wrote Leslie Grundy, director of global PR and communications for Timberland, in a statement released today. “She worked tirelessly to elevate and celebrate the skilled trades as a noble career path for men and women alike. Her passion for worthy work was matched only by her fierce commitment to and love of her PRO team. We take comfort in coming back together as a community to grieve and honor Cassie—knowing she would want us to carry on the work she so valued.”
