Obituary for Lawrence "Larry" Francis Casey Jr.
Larry Casey lived most of his 90 years on the San Francisco Peninsula. Larry and his younger sister Margaret were raised by parents Lawrence Sr. and Margaret on San Jose Avenue in San Francisco. He graduated from Balboa High School in 1951.
Larry showed some talent for art at a young age and in high school he was offered a role helping an Italian priest who was completing art projects for local churches. His art focused on della robbia, a style of sculpture. There are not many remaining examples of his sculpting or painting, His love for art carried throughout his life. He was a chronic doodler, with a notebook and erasable pen tucked in the pocket of his Ben Davis shirt.
A post-high school highlight for Larry was taking Arthur Murray ballroom dancing classes. His sister, Margaret says he loved to dance.
Other than vacations to Europe and around the United States throughout his life, his main time away from home was two years in the U.S. Army in the early 1950’s. After his boot camp at Fort Ord, he was assigned to an Army Recon unit in the US Sixth Army, based in Austria. Much later Larry recounted his first patrol along the Soviet-Austrian border. The Russians started shooting at them, so he fired back. His platoon sergeant told him later that the Russians would do that when they saw new faces on patrol to test their grit, and that he had ‘passed the test’.
After two years in the Army he re-joined his father’s electrical contracting company as a union electrician in Local 6. As a life-long electrician Larry worked on many jobs in San Francisco throughout four decades in IBEW Local 6. Besides working in many well-known high-rises. Notable electrician efforts include working on BART and changing the lights at the top of the Candlestick Park light towers.
Larry met Lucille at a Young Ladies Institute dinner-dance in Burlingame in 1956. Larry and Lucille married at St. Mary’s Church in Jersey City, NJ on October 19, 1957. They welcomed Michael, the first of seven children, in September,1959 and bought a house a month later on Forest View Drive in South San Francisco, not 5 miles as the crow flies from his boyhood home. All seven children - 5 boys and 2 girls - were raised there and received the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation at Mater Dolorosa(MD) Church. Larry and Lucille taught catechism at MD for several years.
Larry led a large group of neighborhood boys as the founding Scoutmaster of Troop #294, based at Sunshine Gardens School. The troop was widely known for being fun and adventurous. Larry led the boys on many hikes, backpacking trips and environmental projects. Leading Troop #294 included Saturdays doing newspaper drives or planting trees on Sign Hill or hiking on San Bruno Mountain. Larry was masterful in adding to the adventure as the Scouts got to fly in a Coast Guard helicopter, drive a train, and train with the Army Reserve. His own Scout training kicked in one day as he walked his children to Grand Avenue Library one Saturday morning to come across a house on fire. Larry got all the children out of the burning home, then helped the firemen get their hoses connected - a life saving act right in front of his own children!
Just after the U.S. Bicentennial celebration in the late 1970’s Larry took the family on a summer car trip across the country with the goal to attend the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Lucille’s parents in New Jersey. Nine people traveling in a van for weeks through thunderstorms, traffic tickets and impromptu stops to camp for the night made for an interesting trip indeed!
Larry had a few things he was very interested in. Most notable was a life-long love of trains – big trains, steam trains, model trains, you name it. He was in several model railroading clubs and made many treks to see some of the unique trains in North America and Europe. He usually had a model railroad magazine close by. He also enjoyed running the train at the Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco during the Christmas season.
For several years in the late 1970’s he ran a hobby shop with his friend Nate at the top-of-the-hill in Daly City and he formed a model rocketry club for local kids out of that shop.
Larry and Lucille have 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. “Poppy” as he was known by the grandchildren was big on making gifts such as custom music boxes, and ‘Princess’ railroad cars. He also famously gave each of his seven children one dollar for each year on their birthday - same for the grandchildren. This could be an envelope of ones, or given in a more special way such as a small pirates chest with gold one dollar coins. Poppy was known for trying to be funny all the time with endlessly long handshakes, corny jokes and puns.
In his later years, Poppy was always helpful to anyone in the family running an errand or transporting one of his kids or grandkids. He and Lucille were part of a church group of friends who were well-known at Gunther’s for breakfast. I’m sure the staff at Heidi’s Pies in San Mateo also mourns his passing since he was quite a regular there.
He will be missed.
Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, December 1, 2023 at 10:30AM at Mater Dolorosa Church. Larry's will be laid to rest privately by family at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.
Larry showed some talent for art at a young age and in high school he was offered a role helping an Italian priest who was completing art projects for local churches. His art focused on della robbia, a style of sculpture. There are not many remaining examples of his sculpting or painting, His love for art carried throughout his life. He was a chronic doodler, with a notebook and erasable pen tucked in the pocket of his Ben Davis shirt.
A post-high school highlight for Larry was taking Arthur Murray ballroom dancing classes. His sister, Margaret says he loved to dance.
Other than vacations to Europe and around the United States throughout his life, his main time away from home was two years in the U.S. Army in the early 1950’s. After his boot camp at Fort Ord, he was assigned to an Army Recon unit in the US Sixth Army, based in Austria. Much later Larry recounted his first patrol along the Soviet-Austrian border. The Russians started shooting at them, so he fired back. His platoon sergeant told him later that the Russians would do that when they saw new faces on patrol to test their grit, and that he had ‘passed the test’.
After two years in the Army he re-joined his father’s electrical contracting company as a union electrician in Local 6. As a life-long electrician Larry worked on many jobs in San Francisco throughout four decades in IBEW Local 6. Besides working in many well-known high-rises. Notable electrician efforts include working on BART and changing the lights at the top of the Candlestick Park light towers.
Larry met Lucille at a Young Ladies Institute dinner-dance in Burlingame in 1956. Larry and Lucille married at St. Mary’s Church in Jersey City, NJ on October 19, 1957. They welcomed Michael, the first of seven children, in September,1959 and bought a house a month later on Forest View Drive in South San Francisco, not 5 miles as the crow flies from his boyhood home. All seven children - 5 boys and 2 girls - were raised there and received the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation at Mater Dolorosa(MD) Church. Larry and Lucille taught catechism at MD for several years.
Larry led a large group of neighborhood boys as the founding Scoutmaster of Troop #294, based at Sunshine Gardens School. The troop was widely known for being fun and adventurous. Larry led the boys on many hikes, backpacking trips and environmental projects. Leading Troop #294 included Saturdays doing newspaper drives or planting trees on Sign Hill or hiking on San Bruno Mountain. Larry was masterful in adding to the adventure as the Scouts got to fly in a Coast Guard helicopter, drive a train, and train with the Army Reserve. His own Scout training kicked in one day as he walked his children to Grand Avenue Library one Saturday morning to come across a house on fire. Larry got all the children out of the burning home, then helped the firemen get their hoses connected - a life saving act right in front of his own children!
Just after the U.S. Bicentennial celebration in the late 1970’s Larry took the family on a summer car trip across the country with the goal to attend the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Lucille’s parents in New Jersey. Nine people traveling in a van for weeks through thunderstorms, traffic tickets and impromptu stops to camp for the night made for an interesting trip indeed!
Larry had a few things he was very interested in. Most notable was a life-long love of trains – big trains, steam trains, model trains, you name it. He was in several model railroading clubs and made many treks to see some of the unique trains in North America and Europe. He usually had a model railroad magazine close by. He also enjoyed running the train at the Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco during the Christmas season.
For several years in the late 1970’s he ran a hobby shop with his friend Nate at the top-of-the-hill in Daly City and he formed a model rocketry club for local kids out of that shop.
Larry and Lucille have 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. “Poppy” as he was known by the grandchildren was big on making gifts such as custom music boxes, and ‘Princess’ railroad cars. He also famously gave each of his seven children one dollar for each year on their birthday - same for the grandchildren. This could be an envelope of ones, or given in a more special way such as a small pirates chest with gold one dollar coins. Poppy was known for trying to be funny all the time with endlessly long handshakes, corny jokes and puns.
In his later years, Poppy was always helpful to anyone in the family running an errand or transporting one of his kids or grandkids. He and Lucille were part of a church group of friends who were well-known at Gunther’s for breakfast. I’m sure the staff at Heidi’s Pies in San Mateo also mourns his passing since he was quite a regular there.
He will be missed.
Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, December 1, 2023 at 10:30AM at Mater Dolorosa Church. Larry's will be laid to rest privately by family at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.