"Gretchen Poston, the wife of Commander Raymond L. Poston and White House Social Secretary in the Carter Administration, died at age 58 on January 6, 1992, after a nearly five-year battle with breast cancer. "Her gift to the White House was her talent and creativity," former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said today. "Her gift to us was joy, laughter and beauty. We will miss our friend."

She died at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. She was disgnosed as having breast cancer in the Spring of 1987 and later underwent a radical mastectomy. After leaving the Carter White House, she was a partner in Washington, D.C., Inc., a consulting firm for social events and conventions. She was the co-author of the "Wonderful Wedding Workbook," published in 1966. She also organized events for the Democratic National Conventions. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in Kansas City. Survivors include her husband, Raymond Poston, a lawyer and former Navy Commander, and four children, all of the Washington area. She was buried in Section 8 of Arlington National Cemetery on January 10, 1992 and Rosalynn Carter and Vice President Dan Quayle attended the funeral.