Ski for Light mourns the loss of SFL skier, Richard Casey. Casey died on March 22nd of an apparent heart attack while working out on the treadmill; he was 74 years old.
His funeral Mass was held at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral; complete with bagpipes, many who attended said it was a most fitting and appropriate tribute to the man they knew.
Casey was the nation's first blind federal trial judge. During his ten years on the bench, he presided over a number of high-profile cases, including an abortion law challenge and the Peter Gotti trial. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1997, ten years after becoming blind from retinitis pigmentosa. He said he often used humor and his love of skiing to help him cope with that loss of sight.
And these are among the qualities that endeared him so much to his friends at Ski for Light. His humor, his many stories, his mind and his love of life are only some of the things that caused so many people to respond to the news of his death. We cannot possibly print all the loving memories we received, but we offer a few thoughts from some of his friends as a tribute to friendships forged at Ski for Light.
So who was this Richard Casey? He was the one who, during SFL introductions, announced that he was from NYC and made his living wearing a long black dress, who loved the New York Giants, his three guide dogs, Rachmaninoff, and Rumpole; who was the only one in the entire country to attend a Yankees game on a 95 degree July day wearing a three-piece suit and a straw skimmer, who sent liverwurst and rye bread to SFL via overnight Fed-Ex delivery; whose brilliant legal mind was respected by and intimidating to all who stood in front of his bench; who was Santa Claus for many years for the residents of a retirement home in New York; who was proud, ego-centric, traditional, devout in his faith, charming, exasperating and witty; who made his mark in all aspects of his life, including numerous sitz marks on the SFL 5K trail.
So who was this Richard Casey to me? In spite of being the “odd couple,” we developed an unusual but enduring friendship, which included a few rocks in the road and lots of unforgettable happy times, honesty and love. I’m so glad I touched shoulders with him.
Elmquist, we’re going to get you yet! Those Catholic Elmquists in Brainerd, oh—they’re good ones! They’re gonna lose another Lutheran.”
It all started when Dick learned at the ’92 event, my first, that I had a car with me. With his Irish charm, he sweet-talked me into driving him 30 miles from Granby to Grand Lake for five o’clock mass. Not only am I not Catholic, I’m hardly religious, and was raised in a Swedish Lutheran church in Des Moines. But, what the heck? So, off we went. Well, it was snowing so hard it was a whiteout and I told Dick he might as well be driving.
That was the first of many masses, lunches, dinners, phone conversations and our annual pre-event ski date when we would ski Saturday and Sunday before the SFL international week.
The Brainerd mass was just before Easter when the priest was announcing the names of those who were to be accepted into the Church the following week. Of the names announced, there was an Elmquist, hardly a name one would associate with a Catholic. Dick and I, sitting shoulder to shoulder were silently giggling and could I feel the giggle. When the service was over and we got to the car, we both burst out laughing and he’s been talking about those Catholic Elmquists ever since.
We also used to talk about football, because as an avid Giants fan he was always interested in who the college recruits would be. The Iowa Hawkeyes have had some good players over the years and we talked about his coming to a game so he could take in that Big Ten spirit and check out our players.
It just doesn’t seem possible that we won’t share mass, meals, laughs and Big Ten football this year.
I first met Richard Casey when he was my skier at SFL 1994 in Colorado. We hit it off right from the start, and soon became close friends.
I will never forget how thrilled he was the first time I was able to talk him down a tiny hill without falling, something he claimed he had never been able to accomplish at any of his previous SFL events. For me, the absolute highlight of that week was seeing his beaming face when it was announced that he was the winner of the 5K rally - what a thrill!
Some people come into one’s life and disappear. Some remain there, and mark the soul forever. We can never be the same when that person is gone. Richard Casey was that kind of person, and it has been a privilege to know him for the past 13 years.