Gretchen Lofthouse became active in the creation of Rose Parade floats at a young age, which led to her meeting her husband, Bill Lofthouse, founder of legendary float builder Phoenix Decorating Co. For 49 years, Gretchen was involved in many areas of the float creation process. For the last several years, she directed the activities of more than 16,000 volunteer decorators at Phoenix. Gretchen was also a qualified antique appraiser, as well as an avid gardener. A long-time horsewoman, she donated her time as a director of the Pasadena Humane Society for 16 years. Gretchen became a cornea donor when she died on May 25, 2004, at age 59, after a lengthy illness.