Roselyn J. Casey

Roselyn Joanne (Kelly) Casey was born October 6, 1933, in Port Credit, Ontario, the youngest child of William P. Kelly and Florence (O’Connor) Kelly. The strong Catholic faith of her parents prepared her well to be joyfully welcomed into eternal life on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8, 2025.

Roselyn’s devotion to the Holy Rosary and the Blessed Virgin were known by all who knew her. To say that Roselyn loved God more than anything else in life would be a gross understatement. Neither friend nor stranger could be in Roselyn’s company for very long before God became a part of the conversation.

Raised in a large, joyful, and musical family, Roselyn was the youngest of eleven children. The family farm in Milton, Ontario, was the setting for story upon story she told of dancing, farming chores, ice skating on the farm pond, joyful frolicking and the helping of neighbors. Loving and nurturing others formed the fiber of Roselyn’s being, so it wasn’t surprising that Roselyn was crowned as Campus Queen of Oakville-Trafalgar High School. Those same traits prompted her to study nursing and graduate from the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in May of 1956.

Roselyn spent the early years of her career serving at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto. Being an adventurous spirit, Roselyn chose to give wings to her nursing skills and joined Air Canada as a nurse-stewardess. Traveling around the world brought wonderful adventures to Roselyn’s life, including her helping in the apprehension of a wanted-criminal whom she keenly spotted aboard a flight in 1959. The criminal was apprehended upon landing as documented by a letter of recognition from the president of Air Canada.

In 1972, a divinely inspired meeting sparked the launch of all of Roselyn’s future adventures, those to be had with her beloved Jerry Casey. Together they enjoyed traveling to visit family, skiing with friends, gardening and spending time outdoors. Jerry and Roselyn were married on June 9, 1973, and set down roots in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where St. Monica Catholic Church became the epicenter of their life together. The church and the work of the Church formed the focus of life together and bore immeasurable fruit.

Jerry and Roselyn sponsored and “adopted” Vietnamese refugee families, helped with the founding and operations of Vineyard Academy (and later Light of Christ Academy), supported Catholic education, befriended many of the Sisters of St. Joseph, established a Catholic bookstore (Holy Family Books & Gifts), worked in local and state efforts to protect the unborn and supported numerous other works for God. Roselyn’s most passionate work in the last decades of her life was in defense of the unborn.

Roselyn worked and prayed for mothers facing unexpected pregnancies. Her personal sacrifices and prayerful counsel will be remembered as the gold-standard for how to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. With Roselyn everyone was a friend, maybe just one she hadn’t met before. She could almost always find the good qualities in each person.

Roselyn is survived by her loving husband Jerry, beloved nephews and nieces, ‘adopted’ Vietnamese children/grandchildren, and a multitude of dear friends.

Visitation will be held Sunday, September 14, from 2-4 PM with a Rosary at 4 PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49009. Mass will be celebrated Monday, September 15 at 11 AM at St. Monica Catholic Church with a luncheon following in the church hall. Burial will take place after at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Kalamazoo. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Monica Catholic School, Light of Christ Academy or Caring Network. Celebrate Roselyn's life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on her dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com.