Richard T. Stengel Sr.

Richard T. "Casey" Stengel Passed away on August 7th at the age of 87 after a brief illness. He was born on May 28, 1924 in Allentown, PA to Luke and Anna Stengel. Casey joined the Navy in 1942, and spent two years in the South Pacific on the USS Duffy D.E. 27. He spoke often of the typhoon they were in and the ships that were lost. He was then sent to Labrador for a year, and then to Alaska for a year, where he was named the Alaska State Bantamweight Boxing Champion on May 29, 1947. Casey spent the next two years as a shore patrolman in Tacoma before being recalled to Korea for a year. It was during his time in Tacoma that he met the love of his life, Dorothy Toynbee of Puyallup. They dated a few times, but military separation intervened and they both went on to marry and divorce others. Seven years latrt they met again; this time they married and began sharing the next 53 years of their lives together. Casey went to Knapp's Business College and owned and operated a tackle shop. He went on to work as an assistant manager of a state liquor store. About this time, Casey became active in politics and was an unsuccessful candidate for the 25th District Representative. He worked as an assistant to the County Commissioner for three years, then began a 15-year career as a deputy, and then chief deputy, in the Pierce County Coroner's office, retiring in 1983. Casey had a deep love for fishing, and he and Dotty spent many hours on the Puget Sound and Sekiu. He also loved yard work; their home in Puyallup was massed with flowers and shrubbery, and their beloved cabin property in Eastern Washington looked like a park. Casey also kept in touch with his shipmates from the Duffy and organized their reunions for the next 20 years, meeting in different places all over the United States. Casey was a life-time member of the DESA, VFW, DAV and NORPAC. Casey and Dotty loved to travel and were fortunate enough to have visited many places around the world. They loved to spend anniversaries in Hawaii, where they could relax and meet many new friends. Casey leaves behind his devoted wife, Dotty, along with his blended family of six children, Trudy Ezell, Richard Stengel, Jr., Teresa Rehn, Chris Rogers, Ted Buckmaster (Nancy), and Tim (Stacey) Buckmaster. He also loved being a grandpa to eleven grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and numerous nieces and nephews. Casey was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters and one brother. Viewing will be Thursday, Aug. 11th, 3pm-8pm. Funeral service Friday, Aug. 12th, at 11am , all at Powers Funeral Home, 320 W. Pioneer, Puyallup, WA. Visit our online memorial page at www.powersfuneralhome.com