William Casey's Obituary
William Dean Casey was born on May 15, 1940, the youngest of five children. He was born to Gerald Dean and Colette Mildred (Clark) Casey. William entered Heavens gates and was reunited with his wife Jeanie on July 24, 2021 at the Wayne County Hospital under hospice care.
At the age of five his father passed away. His older brother Raymond became his father figure and dear friend. They shared a strong, loving relationship that lasted until Raymond's passing in August of 2011. His sister Marjorie stepped up to help care for him as a child due to the heavy load his widowed mother Colette was carrying to support her family.
William attended Higley School then Allerton High School where he graduated in 1958. While in high school, he went out for football. He also went out for the track team, but never attended any practice or meet. He would instead sneak into the boiler room and smoke with the janitor. There are also rumors of a goat being put in the gym somehow but he never knew how that happened.
On April 6, 1963 he was united in marriage to Carmen Jean (Jeanie) Wills in Seymour, Iowa.
In 1963 he also bought their farm west of Allerton, where he raised row crop and cattle. He had a great respect and love for the farm. He and his brother Raymond formed a partnership in farming. They worked together in the fields during the planting, harvesting, and haying seasons, and helped with each other's cattle.
He was in the Army Reserves when Christine was a very young child.
After selling the farm in 1997, he still looked forward to and enjoyed going to Raymond's to help his brother and nephews with planting and harvesting. When he was no longer able to go help, he would often talk with his daughter Cathy, speculating on what his nephew Richard had gotten accomplished.
He had always been a hard worker. William worked at the milk plant in Allerton in earlier years. William and Jeanie owned and operated a Dairy Queen in Chariton, Iowa from 1992-1997 while continuing to farm. He worked as a laborer at Symco in Chillicothe, Missouri and retired from Premium Standard Farms, now Smithfield Farms in May of 2009 after years of working for them. Farming was always in his blood, but his love for his family was much deeper.
William surrendered his heart to Christ and was baptized on October 12, 2008, at the Lineville Mercer Christian Church. He was a faithful member until his health no longer allowed him to attend.
He lovingly took care of his wife, Jeanie, after she was diagnosed with cancer in October of 2009, until her passing in March 2010.
His last birthday was especially dear to him when his youngest granddaughter Bethany gave birth to his newest great granddaughter Serenidy.
A piece of wisdom his daughter Christine remembered her dad gave to her after sharing a list of trials and frustrations is you've got to learn to take the bad with the good.
William was a quiet, gentle soul. He didn't have much to say, but when he spoke, he spoke with a lot of wisdom. His quietness was deceiving as his family knows he had quite the ornery streak to him, which allowed all of them to share in laughter. A particular story that his family recalls is when his wife Jeanie was sitting in the shade enjoying the cool of the evening, drinking a glass of tea, after she had just finished mowing the lawn. Willy thought he would be funny and snuck behind her and threw a lit firecracker under her chair. When it went off, it scared her and Willy got a well deserved tea shower. It is stories like these and his great love for his family that William will be remembered by.
Preceding him in death were his parents Gerald and Colette Casey, his wife Jeanie, brother Leland Casey, brother Raymond Casey and wife Esther, sister Marjorie and husband Lloyd Edgerton, sister Lorene and husband Ralph Lewis, nephew Ed Edgerton, in-laws Gilbert and Wilma Wills and sister-in-law Joyce Wayman.
Those who mourn his passing include his children: Christine Casey of Indianola, IA, Catherine and husband Rich Woodley of Mercer, MO, grandchildren: Stephanie and husband Casey Stolzman of Conrad, IA, Alison McHargue of Kansas City, Mo, Luke McHargue of Indianola, IA, Cassie and husband Jason Bain of Cainsville, MO and Bethany Woodley and significant other Paul Harper of Mercer, MO, great grandchildren: Mya, Maycee and Mylee Stolzman, Jayden and Jocelynn Bain, and Camden, Bryson, and Serenidy Harper, brother-in-law Jerry Wayman of St. Joe, MO, and several nieces and nephews. They will all miss him dearly.
Funeral service will be Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Thomas Funeral Home in Corydon with Gaylynn Stark and Paul Niday officiating. The funeral service will be livestreamed at facebook.com/thomasfuneralhome. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. at Thomas Funeral Home in Corydon. Interment will immediately follow the service at the Allerton Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the family and will be designated at a later date. Condolences may be shared at www.thomasfh.com and at facebook.com/thomasfuneralhome.
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