Michael Joseph Casey

Born March 8, 1934, in Brawley, Calif., to Charles Cecil and Mary Margaret (Coker) Casey, he was the youngest of three children. His sister is Mary Margaret (Bunny) Desert, of El Centro, Calif.; and his brother is James Patrick (Pat) Casey, of Brawley, Calif.

Proud of his Irish heritage and relishing the role of patriarch, Mike was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

We will greatly miss his wonderful smile, sharp wit and intellect, his dry sense of humor, his sage advice, his unending stories (which only got better, and perhaps slightly embellished, over time), his love and support. He was the rock that we all leaned on. His passing leaves a huge void in our lives, his large extended family and his many close friends. To know him was to love him. His love for classical music, old western movies, history and reading was enjoyed nearly every day at the local library or in the quiet of his den.

Michael liked to say he spent his entire "idyllic" childhood in the farming community of Imperial Valley, Brawley, Calif. He attended Brawley High School where he starred in all sports, most notably football.

He was one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the State of California, and was offered full scholarships to USC, UCLA, and The University of California at Berkeley, among other top universities with strong football programs. He chose Cal, a place that he loved dearly and to which he stayed connected his entire life.

His collegiate football career was hampered by knee injuries. He played for the legendary coach Pappy Waldorf, 1953-1955, and over the years remained deeply involved with the "Pappy's Boys" members. They met every year to dine, reminisce, create scholarships or other funding efforts for the current program, and then attend a home game together at Memorial Stadium. His bond with his "Pappy's Boys" was truly one of the most enjoyable and enduring facets of his life.

After two years with the U.S. Army, Michael and Annette Trudeau married in 1959. They had four children: Michelle, Kevin, Dennis, and Corinne (Cori). They settled and raised their family in Hillsborough, Calif.

During 1981, Mike moved to St. Helena, Calif., where he spent several decades on Ehlers Lane as a grape grower and real estate broker. In 1984, he met and married "New Englander" Lucia (Lucy) Callahan, and they had a child, Charles Michael, in 1994. Retiring from the wine and real estate business in 2000, they relocated to Falmouth, where he would reside for the remainder of his life.

He is survived by his wife Lucia (Lucy); his sister Mary (Bunny) Desert; the greatest joys of his life, his children: Michelle Wyman and husband Will, Kevin and wife Jocelyn, Dennis and his wife Morgan, Cori Lusk and her husband Paul, and son Charles; grandchildren: Caitlin Malone, Casey Wyman, Molly Wyman; Alanna Stropki, Colleen Casey; Jack, Katrina, Nathan, Nicholas and Nolan Casey; and Jack and Erin Lusk; great-grandchild, Scarlett Malone; and former wife and mother of the four eldest children, Annette Legallet.

Words cannot adequately express our loss, but we all have wonderful memories and funny stories to carry us through.

In the immortal words of Michael J. Casey...GO BEARS!!

A Celebration of Life service will be held March 2, 2017, at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland, from 2-4 p.m., with a Celebration of Life conducted at 4 p.m., followed by refreshments. An additional memorial will be held in California in late spring; the date and location to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Hospice at: vnahomehealth.org

Arrangements under the direction of Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, Portland, ME.