Edward "Paul" Casey

Edward “Paul” Casey, of Waukesha, departed this life on Sunday, June 14, 2015 in Surprise, AZ at the age of 97. He was born in Waukesha on October 7, 1917 the son of John J. and Anna (nee Gates) Casey. On February 10, 1945 he married Jeanette Kempken; she preceded him in death on October 15, 2005. He was a life-long member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, serving as a member of Holy Name Society and a supporter of CYO sports.

Paul was a graduate of Waukesha High School. He proudly served his country in the United States Army in WWII as a sergeant in the 238th Military Police Company of the 745th Battalion in the Pacific Theater. He was an active member of the Amvets and served as commander for 2 years. Paul worked for Wisconsin Bell (AT&T) as a cable splicer for 42 years and was a proud member of the CWA Local 4603 and a lifetime member of Telephone Pioneers. A highlight in his career was that he played a big role in switching the city of Waukesha over from operator assist to direct dial. He played many sports but golf was his passion, playing until he was 90! He loved to share stories of playing golf when he was young and his role as a caddie at Merrill Hills CC. He won many local golf tournaments and enjoyed reliving those memories, especially winning the Waukesha city tournament at Merrill Hills. He was a senior champion at Moor Downs and president of its men’s club. He won the 1st city tournament on the miniature golf course “Tom Thumb” where the Waukesha post office now stands, went on to win the regional in Madison and finished 2nd in the state competition in Milwaukee. He was the city’s table tennis champion for 7 years at the old YMCA on South Street. Paul also enjoyed bowling and was a renowned fast pitch softball pitcher and horseshoe pitcher. His love for big band music was a passion that will live on in his family. He thoroughly enjoyed (most of the time!) following the Brewers and other baseball teams, and was still so mentally sharp and able to talk about stats and players with his son in-law, Tom. Sharing his memories of Waukesha, in the “olden days” was such a pleasure for him and we’d like to thank John Schoenknecht for his articles in the Freeman that sparked so many interesting conversations the past few years.

Some highlights of Paul’s life that he wanted to share were shaking hands with Charles Lindbergh in 1927; attending the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933 and seeing the first television; viewing the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, at the Park Theater in 1927 and listening to Liberace (for free!) at the Plankinton Arcade in Milwaukee.

Paul may have loved sports but his pride and joy was his family. He will be greatly missed by his children, Patricia (Richard) Schmidt of Waukesha, Michael (Sherry) Casey of Tomahawk, Richard (Dianne) Casey of New Port Richey, FL, David Casey of Waukesha, Thomas Casey (Teri Backlund) of Eagle and Mary Beth (Tom) Goldrick of Surprise, AZ. He was the loving grandfather of Laura Lau, David (Michele) Schmidt, Jamie (Jason) Treml, Scott (Tammy) Casey, Brian (Briana) Bednarek, Katy Casey, Kimberly Casey, Elicia Casey, Marissa Ruehs, Dan Casey, Lillian Casey, John Paul Casey, Karen (Joe) Flanigan, Caitlin Casey (Paul Beach) and Rachel Casey. Paul was blessed to be the great-grandfather of Andrea, Ryan, Lauren, Claire, Chase, Makayla, Ashley, Callie, Ethan, Natalie, Cameron, Caleb, Samuel, Asher and Keegan. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. In addition to his wife, Jeanette, he was preceded in death by his brothers, John Jr., Cullen and Burton and his first wife, Frances (Blando).

“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.”

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, 1110 S. Grand Ave., Waukesha. Visitation will continue at the funeral home on Friday, June 26 from 9:00 until 10:00 a.m. followed by a procession to St. Joseph Catholic Church, 822 N. East Avenue in Waukesha for the 10:30 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial. Father Javier Bustos will preside. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery with Full Military Honors. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Paul’s name are appreciated to Stars and Stripes Honor Flight of SE Wisconsin P.O. Box 636 Port Washington, WI 53074.

Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit our website at www.waukeshafunerals.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.