David William Casey passed away on Sept. 6, 2016. Dave was born on Nov. 7, 1951, in Clinton, Okla. He was the second son of Frank and Betty Casey. Dave enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft mechanic at the age of seventeen and later served in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, Dave met his life-long friend, Mark DeDecker, who had plenty of single sisters back home for Dave to write to. One sister caught his heart, and they fell in love through their letters. Dave met Mary on a brief military leave, proposed the next day, and then sent Mary an engagement ring in the mail when he was back in Vietnam. Upon his return from military service, Dave and Mary were married in Loveland, Colo. on Aug. 11, 1973, at St. John's Catholic Church. With the help of the GI Bill, Dave attended Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology where he was on the Honor's list. He graduated with a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Associates degree in 1977. While in school, Dave and Mary celebrated the birth of their first son. After graduating, Dave and Mary moved their family to Ft. Worth, Texas where Dave began his career in commercial HVAC. They welcomed their second son, and eventually settled in El Sobrante, Calif. to be near Dave's family. Dave and Mary raised their family in the Bay Area and resided there until 2011 when they made the decision to resettle in Loveland to be near Mary's aging parents. Dave was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2016. The cancer, as acknowledged by the Veteran's Association, was a result of his exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. Dave was scheduled to take the Veteran's Honor Flight to Washington D.C. on September 11 where he is to be honored along with other veterans who sacrificed for our country. Dave unfortunately passed before he could take this journey. His wife, Mary, and fellow veteran, Mark, will be making this journey to honor Dave's memory. Dave was passionate about his family, his grandchildren, fast American cars, and Harley Davidsons. Dave is survived by his riding partner and wife, two sons, and four grandchildren [names omitted]. The family is holding a service for Dave at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on September 16th 2016 at 10:30 am. The Patriot Riders will escort the funeral procession to Loveland Burial Park, and the family welcomes any veterans who would like to ride along to honor Dave.--Loveland Reporter-Herald, Sept. 14, 2016