William H. Casey, 84, founded Casey Fuel

William H. Casey, who was active in the business, civic and social life of Ridgefield for more than half a century, died on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2002, at his home on Main Street. He was 84 years old and the husband of Valerie Dyer Casey.
In 1949, Mr. Casey founded Casey Fuel, one of Ridgefield’s oldest family businesses. He was a former head of the Republican Party in town, had served on two town boards, and was a director of Danbury Hospital.
William Henry Casey was born in New York City on Oct. 21, 1917, son of Harold W. and Frieda Casey, and grew up on Long Island. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1939 and had worked for several oil companies before deciding to start his own business.
Mr. Casey married Valerie Dyer, a New York City native who was raised in Montreal, Canada. They were wed at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. In 1947 they moved to Ridgefield, living at first on West Lane and in 1953 buying an 18th Century homestead on northern Main Street that became both his home and his office for nearly 50 years.
Casey Fuel grew to become one of the town’s largest fuel oil dealers. In the early 1960s, Mr. Casey also owned an Esso gasoline station and paint store on Danbury Road, now the quarters of Marty Motors.
In 1961, he opened a real estate end of the business and was long active in the real estate community, serving in 1967 as president of the Ridgefield Board of Realtors.
Mr. Casey had served many community groups. An active Republican, he had worked on countless campaigns and became chairman of the Republican Town Committee. He served on town’s Board of Finance in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and had also been a member of the Board of Tax Review.
Mr. Casey joined the Ridgefield Lions Club on Nov. 1, 1948, and at the time of his death had been the longest, continuous, still-resident member of the club. He had served as the club president some years ago.
Mr. Casey was also a member of the Board of Directors and a trustee of Danbury Hospital, had served as a director of the Community Center, and was president of his Lehigh alumni class.
An avid golfer, Mr. Casey was one of the longest-term members of the Silver Spring Country Club. There, he was a founder of the Poison Ivy League, a group of local golfers that included such prominent businessmen and attorneys as Judge John E. Dowling, Alex Santini, Judge Joseph H. Donnelly, Edward Hyde and Judge Reed F. Shields.
He was interested in his family’s roots. In 1997, 18 members of the Casey clan traveled to Ireland for a 10-day trip that included visits to many ancestral sites of both the Casey and Dyer families. Last Memorial Day, the Casey family gathered here for a fifth-year reunion of that journey.
Mr. Casey was an active member of the Princeton Club of New York and a former member of the New York Athletic Club. He was also a member of St. Mary’s Church.
Besides his wife, Mr. Casey is survived by four children: Diane Brown of Brookfield, Michael Casey of Ridgefield, Ladd Casey of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Shaun Held of Tiburon, Calif.; seven grandchildren: Teddy and Michael Brown, Ford and Shane Casey, Shophia and Annika Held, and Laura Casey; and by three great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday in St. Mary’s Church. Burial followed in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association, 90 East Ridge, Ridgefield 06877.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.