Alfred J. Casey Jr.

1922 - 2016

Alfred James Casey Jr. passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, May 28, 2016, with the love of his family lifting him up. Alfred, who went by "Al" and "Fred" to family and friends, was born on Christmas Eve 1922 in Clairton, to Alma Similo Casey and Alfred James Casey Sr. His mother always called him "Junior". Alfred grew up in both Clairton and Blythedale, where he spent summers with his Grandmother Similo and Aunt Eva, pestering the miners at the Union Hall and playing baseball. He graduated from Clairton High School, in 1941 where he played clarinet in the marching band. He entered the Army in 1943 and was deployed with the 631st Ordnance Ammunition Company to England before landing at Utah Beach and advancing with the Allied Armies through Belgium and France. His campaigns include Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland and he was awarded the European, African, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars. Alfred was among the support units in the Battle of the Bulge where he worked to secure ammunition dumps as the Nazis broke through. On every Christmas Eve birthday, Alfred reminded us that in 1944, he ate cold rations on the staircase of a small hotel in a village that was under attack, wondering if he would survive. He did and returned to marry the love of his life, Abigail Kittiko, of McKeesport. They lived in McKeesport and White Oak for 66 years of marriage. Abigail died Dec. 17, 2014. Alfred worked as a carpenter at Clairton and Homestead Works until too many layoffs and strike threats caused him to take a job selling insurance for the National Life and Accident Insurance Company and then The Prudential Insurance Company where he earned many sales awards. Alfred retired in 1986 and attended Penn State University McKeesport Campus where he took literature and writing courses and actually had some poetry published. Penn State was tough, because he was a Pitt man through and through and delighted in wearing his Golden Panthers sweatshirt to class and the library. He was a voracious reader of newspapers and books and loved to talk about current events, politics, boxing, Pirates baseball and all Pitt sports, especially football. His opinions often found their way into the McKeesport Daily News as letters to the editor. Springs and summers were spent in his flower and vegetable gardens. No matter the season, he would frequently visit the Carnegie Library and Museum and Phipps Conservatory in Oakland, the Carnegie Library McKeesport, The Penn State Library and The McKeesport Heritage Center. He was a member of the American Legion and St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in McKeesport. Alfred is survived by his brother, William Casey (the late Margarete), of West Mifflin; his four children, Clareanne Best, of Sewickley, Christine Casey, of Pittsburgh, Mark Casey (Lynnette), of Phoenix, Ariz., and Victoria Tomcik (Michael), of Port Vue; and his nephews, Bill Casey (Janie), of Clairton, and Karl Casey, of Pittsburgh. Pap Fred will be missed by grandchildren, Donna Lippock (Steve), Brian Best (Krista), Daniel Best, Elizabeth Best (Crispin), Rosie McDunn, Matthew, Maegan and Terese Casey, Sarah Rutherford (Zachary), Stephanie Didjunas (Matthew) and Samantha Roland (Patrick); and 12 great-grandchildren. Alfred was proud of his children and loved playing with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially when they were babies.
Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at JAYCOX-JAWORSKI FUNERAL HOME in McKeesport. Funeral Mass begins at 10 a.m. Friday, June 3, at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church with interment to follow at Penn Lincoln Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Carnegie Library, McKeesport Public Library, McKeesport Heritage Center or Family Hospice and Palliative Care at Canterbury Place.