In the words of his daughter, Vanessa, James Casey did what he wanted to do.
On August 6, the last day of his life, he traveled with his beloved wife Beverly to visit his youngest son Gregory and his fiancé Liz Holtan in Milwaukee. He had his first Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich. He took a walk along the Milwaukee River with his son and new puppy. He had a beautiful meal with family and went to sleep. He did not wake up. While his loss has devastated his family, we cannot imagine an end to his life that James would have preferred.
James lived for 85 years. In that time, he was a policeman, a volunteer fireman, served in the Coast Guard, worked as a consultant, and in human resources. But it was his time outside work that defined him. He had a lifelong love of reading, and he was seldom to be found without some large tome in hand, frequently on the topic of history. He loved good food and inexpensive wine. He was a connoisseur of hats, some of which were stylish.
While he lived the last three decades of his life in Kentucky, he remained always a New Yorker. He grew up in Queens and worked in some of the world’s most iconic buildings – Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, and Lincoln Center. He was wed to his wife Beverly in the United Nations Chapel in Manhattan.
A devoted couple, Jim sent Beverly an endearing email each day without fail. Spending time with his family was one of his great joys. In his final years, he would take an annual trip with his son Gregory to New York to see the University of Kentucky play basketball. He didn’t care about the game – he looked forward to the time together. He went on many world-spanning adventures with Vanessa, including to London, Paris, and Las Vegas.
James was the son of Patrick Casey and Mary Bligh Casey, both born in the 1890’s. They immigrated to New York City around 1910. Patrick was a policeman. Mary worked as a maid then attended cooking school and worked as a cook. Their family home was in Middle Village, Queens, NY. James graduated from St. John’s University in Jamaica, NY.
James is survived by his wife Beverly, his daughters Donna Casey-Aira (Luis), Susan McKinney (Steve), and Vanessa Casey, sons James Casey and Gregory Casey, and grandchildren Gabriel Aira, Sophia Aira, Sarah McKinney and Jack McKinney. He was preceded in death by his brothers Patrick and Larry and his dear sister Terry.
Services are pending.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation in James’s memory to the Covenant House of New York, 550 10th Avenue New York, NY 10018 https://ny.covenanthouse.org/donation-form/.
