Joan Grace Casey

Joan Grace Casey, age 88, passed away on January 8, 2025. Joan was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother whose Catholic faith stayed strong during her life.

She was born in Plainwell, Michigan on November 18, 1936 to parents Paul Harden and Mary Genevieve (Grace) Murray. Joan was the youngest of six children, five sisters and one brother. She graduated from Plainwell High School and then Nazareth College, with a degree in business education. Joan worked at Catholic Social Services in Kalamazoo after her college graduation, until her wedding to James S. Casey in 1961. Joan and Jim spent the first two years of their marriage in South Bend, Indiana, where daughter Kathleen (Wes) was born. Moving back to Kalamazoo in 1964, Joan and Jim welcomed 5 more children in the next 15 years: Molly (Joe), James (Ann), John (Katie), Mary (John), and Matthew (Kate).

Joan’s faith was a constant in her life. She prayed the rosary daily, attended Mass regularly, and volunteered for Birthright and the food pantry at St. Vincent DePaul in Kalamazoo. She spoke fondly of Saint Margaret’s Church in Otsego where she received the sacraments of baptism, First Holy Communion, confirmation, and matrimony. Joan was an early and longtime member of St. Monica Catholic Church, where she participated in the women’s group and assisted with Friday night Bingo. She volunteered at St. Monica School and Hackett Catholic Prep High School during the many years her children attended the schools. In later years, Joan attended St. Augustine Cathedral. After moving to Grand Rapids in 2017, she attended St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church.

Joan excelled in the kitchen, never afraid to try new recipes or new gadgets. In the early 2000’s, she assembled the family’s favorite recipes into a cookbook that is used regularly by her children and their families. There were always cookies in the cookie tin and ice cream in the freezer. Joan’s love for Plainwell Ice Cream and Sanders hot fudge never subsided. She kept an immaculate house, setting a high standard for her children and grandchildren. Joan was never idle: she refurnished furniture and the kitchen cabinets, sewed, and did needlework. She was a keen bridge player, playing in various bridge groups over the years.

Joan was a strong supporter of Jim’s career as an attorney and longtime Probate Judge of Kalamazoo County. She travelled to conferences with Jim and hosted lunches and dinners for colleagues at their house. Joan was active in the Kalamazoo Lawyers Auxiliary for many years, eventually serving as president.

Joan and Jim were married for 43 years, until his passing in 2005. They worked as a team to raise their large family and took pride in maintaining their house and yard. Once the kids finished college, Jim and Joan took the opportunity to travel. They spent winters in Green Valley, Arizona and then Englewood, Florida and travelled to Rome and Ireland. They felt blessed to be part of a papal audience with Pope John Paul II.

Joan always spoke fondly of her childhood. She regaled her family with stories of working at the bakery and Dean’s Ice Cream and the lovely small town that was Plainwell. Joan frequently talked of how hard her parents worked to provide for her and her five siblings, as well as the many adventures she enjoyed growing up in the large brick house on Hicks Avenue, on the banks of the Kalamazoo River, where all five sisters shared one bedroom on the third floor.

Joan embraced her new hometown of Grand Rapids, where she moved in 2017. She made wonderful friends, enjoyed numerous activities, and spent time with her son Matt and his family who lived nearby. Joan enjoyed going to restaurants and local sites when her children and their families visited. She always made sure to have a batch of chocolate chip or molasses cookies on hand for visitors.

Joan was predeceased by her parents, her husband Jim, and her five siblings: Rita Jane Dyke, Mary Ellen Klein, Paul Joseph Murray, Catherine Jean Murray, and Margaret Ann O’Brien. Her six children and their spouses survive, along with grandchildren Claire and Henry Seeger, Joe, Maggie (Daniele Matiddi), and Ben Cripe, Jack and James Casey, Lily and Anna Baibak, Frank, Margaret, and Kathleen Casey, and great grandchild, Gigi Matiddi. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Elizabeth Locey Murray, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Rosary will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025 at 6:30 PM with a visitation from 4:30-6:30 pm at Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, 269-375-2900. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 10 AM, at St. Augustine Cathedral in Kalamazoo, the Very Reverend Robert Creagan, Celebrant. Luncheon immediately follows service.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Augustine Cathedral, Hackett Catholic Prep High School, and St. Vincent DePaul of Kalamazoo.

Many thanks to the staff at Beacon Hill at Eastgate and Faith Hospice, as well as her caregiver Harriette, for their loving care for Joan.