Casey Cosker

CASEY COSKER, born on Sept. 9, 1987 in Hartford, Conn., chose to travel out of this world and into the next one early on the morning of Saturday, May 3.

A lifelong lover of comics and graphic novels, Casey often lamented the fact that he'd reached his mid-twenties and hadn't yet acquired any superpowers of his own. Those who knew him, however, could not disagree more.

Casey Cosker was special. There was no one remotely like him, and there never will be again. He was a wild card, a force of nature, an explorer, and an adventurer. He was a gentleman, and he lived by his own code. The warmth and affection that he showed his large family of friends was honest and loving in a way that is rare to find.

He had an uncanny sense of direction and a knack for navigating roadways big and small, a skill that would serve him well in one of his favorite pastimes: road-tripping across America.

He was a giver of gifts, tangible and intangible. It brought him great joy to give a friend a book or a record or a conversation piece that he somehow knew would be just right for them. But beyond that, Casey had a habit of gifting people adventures, a unique ability to bestow experiences on people that they couldn't have had with anyone else, and that they will never forget.

He was fiercely intelligent and resourceful. He worked hard. He was passionate, brave, and hopeful. He was also complicated.

He enjoyed a decently-made burrito, spending the whole day outside, and music with a sense of humor. He had no use for veganism, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, or the mean-spirited.

He could tell a good joke. He could tell a terrible joke and make it seem like a good one. He was innately funny in a way that most people are not.

Anyone who had ever been in his passenger seat could testify that he seemed able to change traffic lights at whim. Anyone who ever saw him with a cat would have also heard him have an entire conversation with it, to the cat's delight.

But perhaps what most needs to be said about Casey Cosker is that his core was wholly and purely good. He might not have known it while he was on earth, but we did.

Casey is survived by his loving wife Kensey Stedman, and by his family and friends across the country, too numerous to mention here. We are all lucky and so grateful to have had him for the time that we did.

Services private. Donations to The Samaritans can be made in Casey's name at http://samaritansnyc.org/