James ' Jimmy ' Lawrence Casey was born in Three Rivers, Texas on November 14,1930, to Ella Vae Murray and Floyd Casey during the Great Depression. He lost his father at age 3. He and his brother Joel were raised by their mother and her sister Lucille ' Cele ' Murray.

After graduating high school, he didn ' t realize he was being chased by three young ladies in town, and Isla Beights claimed she just outran the other two. Jimmy married Isla in 1951.

He served in the Navy during the Korean War, and was stationed in Oakland, California working on seaplanes. He was honorably discharged in 1954 & brought his wife & two infant daughters back to Texas.

They picked the worst 3 years of the ' 50s Drought to farm cotton in Mitchell County. Every Friday night he took his wife and kids to the drive-in movie, which Isla said saved her life having 3 babies in diapers. In 1957, they  sold everything they had to get out of debt, moved to Lubbock & he began training for a career in electronic s.

The Casey family moved to Corpus after a couple of years, and in 1961 they had their fourth and last child and moved to Fort Stockton where Jim began working for the Federal Aviation Agency. He used to carry his fake-sleeping elementary age kids into the house after going to the drive-in movie, even though they were too big for that. He was also ordained a deacon at Northside Baptist Church there.

In 1964 Jimmy took a job at Salt Flat and moved his family to a place 90 miles east of El Paso. There he built his kids a two-story playhouse from an equipment crate, began collecting dirt samples in baby food jars from every place they traveled, and in the middle of one particular night woke his kids up to see the most amazing meteor shower they haven ' t seen the likes of since. TV reception was almost non-existence, so the family played a lot of games and spent a lot of time together in the car driving to and from Dell City, the little community where they attended church and school.

In 1967 his job brought him and his family to Cotulla, Texas, where they lived longer than any other place. Four years prior to his retirement from the FAA at age 55, Jim and Isla moved to Harlingen in the Valley before retiring and returning to Cotulla. In 2008, they moved to Taylor, Texas, to live with their daughter Donna. Isla passed away in 2013.

Some other things about Jim Casey: He served the Lord in a church in every community he lived. He was the best handyman for his family, church, and community. He and Isla put 4 kids through college without incurring any debt. He never met a stranger and made good friends in every place he lived. He even built his own fireplace in his Cotulla home.

James was a Boy Scout leader & Little League coach. He was also one of the kindest men you could ever meet. He was the one you wanted on your Trivial Pursuit team. He probably read the most books at Alexander Memorial Library in Cotulla, Texas. He said, " Reading isn ' t a hobby for me, it ' s a disease. "

For 11 years, Jim and Isla volunteered for Texas Baptist Men Camp Builders, which meant they lived in a camper for 8 months out of the year doing building projects at church camps around Texas.

Jim and Isla had 4 children,10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

When he suddenly began declining after his 90th birthday and entered a nursing home in Taylor, Donna wanted his caregivers to know something about the man they were taking care of, so she posted much of this information on the wall. This included the fact that he was healthy and active up until the last half of November. He even went camping twice during the Pandemic. He made his bed every day, and he did chores like taking out the trash only 2 weeks before going into the nursing home. He celebrated his 90th birthday on November 14th.

He passed peacefully from this life on December 21, 2020.

Jim/Dad/PawPaw is so loved & missed by his family & friends.

James was preceded in death by his wife Isla and his parents, Ella Vae and Floyd Casey. He is survived by his children: Joy and Jay Watson, Donna Van Cleve and Jack Van Cleve III, Joe Mack and Mary Ellen Casey, and Bob and Marifrances Casey; grandchildren: Jack Van Cleve IV and Blake Huffman, Jenna and Mark Ramos, Vanessa and Jonathan Roeder, RJ Watson, Kyle and Allison Casey, Lance and Lindsay Casey, Graham Casey, Gary Casey, Allie Casey, and Isla Casey; and great grandchildren: Audrie, Finn and August Roeder, Nora and Sophie Casey, Tom, June and Sam Casey, and Carter, Teagan and Jace Ramos. He is also survived by his brother Joel Casey and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be made to the following:

Texas Baptist Men Camp Builders - https://www.tbmtx.org/ways-to-give .  [Designate Camp Builders]

Shepherd's Heart Food Pantry, Taylor, Texas - https://www.shepherdshearttaylor.org/#support