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<\/div>\nMy grandfather, John Francis Casey, passed away this morning. He was 92 years old. 92 years 157 days to be as precise as my genealogy program allows. I only had infrequent contact with him growing up (my grandparents divorced when my father was a young boy). But from those visits I do remember tales of work on the beat as a police officer in Chicago.<\/p>\n
As an adult, I am happy to have taken opportunities to visit him, and to introduce my own children to their great-grandfather. Most recently was in the summer of 2003, when my new interest in genealogy led to a trip to Chicago with my brother<\/a>. We visited Grandpa Casey, and his sister Margaret, and tracked down many other relatives who we were not fortunate enough to have met when they were still living.<\/p>\n Family trees are a fascinating thing. Genetically speaking, I’m Chris Casey\/Dedera\/Slovacek\/Peter, but that’s way too long to sign on a check, and each of those names could be similarly split. And so the naming rules say I’m a Casey, and I’ve traced my way back to John’s Great-Grandfather Michael, a tenant farmer in County Limerick Ireland, who’s own son Michael<\/a> came to America and ended up in Chicago. My place on the Casey tree passes back through my Grandfather John, and I hope I can help preserve his memory for my own children and farther down the branch as it grows.<\/p>\n Read John’s Obituary<\/a> from the Chicago Tribune.<\/p>\n Care to climb our tree? Explore the Casey\/Geltmaker family tree<\/a> online.<\/p>\n