Bob Casey Jr.

1938 - 2018

Bob Casey, Jr.
1938-2018
Robert Randolph "Bob" Casey, Jr. passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on the morning of April 27, 2018.
Born in Houston on June 19, 1938, Bob was the second of ten children. His father spent his entire career in politics, while his mother raised the family and supported her husband in his campaigns. After WWII, the family moved from Alvin to a ten-acre "farm" near the current corner of Woodway and Chimney Rock. While Bob was in high school, the family moved into town for easier access to schools.
A graduate of St. Anne School, St. Thomas High School, The University of Texas, and UT Law School, Bob always loved reading and learning. Throughout his life, he worked to share his love of great literature and organized readings of Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and the Declaration of Independence with his family and, to the occasional consternation of his children, with their friends.
In 1962, while at UT Law, he closed the best deal of his life when he married Mary Kay Miller. After completing law school, he served as a law clerk for the Texas Supreme Court before moving back to Houston to join the Bracewell law firm, where he practiced his entire career.
Committed to giving back to his community, Bob served on the boards of the Visiting Nurse Association, the River Oaks Property Owners, DiverseWorks, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the Taipei Society, The McDonald Observatory and the Houston Area Parkinson Society.
He had wide-ranging interests, including politics, art, theater, education and travel, all of which afforded him an understanding of the broader world, which he worked to impart to his children and their friends. Because of this global view, Bob sent all his children abroad on exchanges with other families in Peru, Mexico, Spain, Bolivia, Belgium and Venezuela, and hosted exchange students from Indonesia, Finland, Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia in his home. Bob's desire to build connections between people, both at home and around the world, was manifested in part by hosting many dinners, both large and small, bringing old and new friends and acquaintances together.
A desire to read the Sunday New York Times on Sunday, combined with a goal of teaching his children the value of work and running a business, led Bob to help his children start the first home delivery of the Sunday Times in Houston in 1978.
Bob loved the outdoors and camped with all his sons throughout Texas, the western US, Alaska, and Canada. There are many fond memories, particularly of Alaska where, on the first morning of their first trip, the campers awoke to see three grizzlies wandering toward their campsite.
A diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease at age 50 limited his career, but gave him more time with his family and allowed him to spend time with his daughter, Kathryn, while she was in the Peace Corps in Kenya. In 2003, Bob underwent experimental brain surgery as part of a double-blind study to understand the effects of retinal cell implants on the production of dopamine. Though the study was discontinued, he later learned he had received the implant. Bob's goal was to be part of the solution.
Inclusive, inquisitive, and interested in those around him, Bob worked hard to impart these qualities to his children. He will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Kay, and his four children and their spouses: Bob and Tammy Casey, Michael and Katy Casey, Chris and Marian Casey, and Kathryn and Andy Principe; by his grandchildren: Bobby Casey; Conor Casey; Christopher II, Bowie, and Rawley Casey; and William and Michael Principe; by his siblings and their spouses: Hazel Harron, Bonnie Quinton and Michael Murray, Mike and Linda Casey, Shawn and Suggie Casey, Bridget and Howard Poizner, Eileen and David Bujnoch, Tim and Olga Casey, and Kevin Casey; by his uncle and aunt, Gus and Agatha Brann; and by many nieces and nephews. In addition, he is survived by his sisters-in-law and their spouses, Janet and Scott Magers, and Claire and Martin Weaver; and by his consuegra, Nancy Powell Moore. He is predeceased by his parents, Hazel and Bob Casey, Sr., sister, Catherine Casey, O.P., and brother-in-law, Ronald Harron.
The family is grateful to Maria Sandate for almost 50 years of devoted help and care and to Lovie Sanford and Ira Sam for the loving care that they provided in the last years of Bob's life.
There will be a reception at Bradshaw-Carter funeral home, 1734 West Alabama, on Monday, April 30, from 5:00-8:00 pm and a memorial service at 10:00 am on Tuesday, May 1, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer, with a reception following in the parish hall. A private family interment will be held at a later date.
If desired, a memorial contribution may be made to the Houston Area Parkinson Society, 2700 Southwest Freeway, Suite 296, Houston, Texas 77098.