Sandy Casey
During this holiday season we remember and pay tribute to Sandy Casey, who was among the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1.
Sandy, a native of East Dorset and a Burr and Burton Academy graduate, earned degrees at the College of Saint Joseph in Rutland and Assumption College. She then pursued a career in special education, first at Poultney High School and then in Manhattan Beach, CA.
Sandy was 35, the daughter of Steven and Teresa Casey of East Dorset and engaged to be married to Chris Willemse. She lived in Redondo Beach, Calif., and taught in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District as a middle school special education teacher.
By all accounts Sandy was a truly special and gifted young woman with much to offer our world. She was a compassionate teacher and loyal friend with a sense of humor, a commitment to her calling as a special education teacher, and a personality that lit up any room she entered.
Sandy’s teachers at BBA spoke of her spirit, energy and enthusiasm. Her school superintendent in California called her “a spectacular teacher who devoted her life to helping some of our most needy students.” Her family has deep roots in our community, and many say her character was a testament to the family’s values.
Her fiancé Chris, speaking at her memorial service, related that in the weeks after the shooting, he had learned what family really means through the way her parents had taken in him and his friends in their grief. “She taught me what it meant to love her parents,” he said. “I gained a mother and a father out of this.”
To the Casey family, and to Sandy’s friends and loved ones, we offer our sincerest condolences and deepest sympathies.
A scholarship has been established in Sandy Casey’s name. To contribute visit https://www.gofundme.com/sandycaseyscholarshipfund.