MARTIN WARD CASEY
Oct. 6, 1926-March 19, 2011
Martin Ward Casey, 84, passed away at Kitty Askins Hospice Center on Saturday, March 19, 2011 after a courageous three-year battle with cancer.
A memorial service will be held at Goldsboro Friends Meeting, 700 Guilford St., on Tuesday, March 22 at 2 p.m. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the meeting house. Interment will be private.
He was born on Oct. 6, 1926, in Goldsboro, where he lived his entire life. After receiving a B.S. degree in horticulture from NC State University in 1949 and completing courses in landscape design at Cornell University, he owned and operated the Goldsboro Nursery for over 40 years before his retirement in 1995.
Martin is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Rose Best Casey; four children, Tom, of Raleigh, Victoria C. Seskevich and husband, Jon, of Durham, Lee and wife, Pam, of Goldsboro, and Daniel and wife, Judy, of Pine Level. In addition, he and Rose have five grandchildren, Matt, Hunter, Jillian, Samantha and Adam Casey. He is also survived by a sister, Jean C. Becton of Goldsboro.
Martin was predeceased by his parents, Luby R. and Florence Martin Casey, his brother and sister-in-law, J. Frank and Marjorie W. Casey, his brother-in-law, Harrison C. Becton and his nephew, Michael W. Casey.
Martin was a lifetime member of Goldsboro Friends Meeting and lived his life according to the tenets of the Quaker faith -- with simplicity, responsibility, impeccable integrity and was a lifetime proponent of peace. He was also active in the N.C. Yearly Meeting of Friends, served several terms as chairman of the board of United Church Ministries, and was a member of Gideons International. He held memberships in the Nursery Associations at the federal and state level and, in 2008, received an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the N.C. Nursery and Landscape Association for his dedication to the nursery and landscape industries in North Carolina.
The family would like to express their appreciation to Dr. I-Wen Chang and the staff at Southeastern Medical Oncology Center and to the nursing staff in the infusion unit and on the fourth floor of Wayne Memorial Hospital for their care and concern.
In lieu of flowers, it was Martin's wish that memorials be made to Goldsboro Friends Meeting, 700 Guilford St., Goldsboro, NC 27530, Kitty Askins Hospice Center, 107 Handley Park Court, Goldsboro, NC 27530, or United Church Ministries, 119 W. Walnut St., Goldsboro, NC 27530.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on March 20, 2011 11:06 AM