Patrick "Pat" Alan Cass

It is with great sadness we share that Patrick “Pat” Alan Cass, age 73, passed away unexpectedly on October 31, 2024 at Baptist Health Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky of complications from undiagnosed pancreatic cancer.

Pat was loved by all who knew him as a kind and caring man with a wonderful sense of humor who loved wine, sailing, genealogy, his work, and above all, his family.

Pat grew up in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He was the youngest of three children, born on April 5, 1951 to James F. Cass and Julia Gotzion Cass. During his childhood he was an altar boy at his local church as well as an Eagle Scout. After high school he attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He graduated with honors in 1973 with a BSBA in Accounting and began working at Arthur Andersen LLP in Columbus, Ohio as a Certified Public Accountant.

It was at Arthur Andersen that he met his future wife, Joyce Konst, and they married in 1979. They had three children together, Christine, Lauren, and Brian, over the next 10 years. At Arthur Andersen, Pat became a partner and worked in the Tampa, Cleveland, and Louisville offices. In Louisville he became the Office Managing Partner and in 2002 coordinated the merging of his Louisville office with the local Ernst & Young LLP office, which he managed until 2004. From 2004 until his retirement in 2009, Pat served as a regional energy industry leader and Advisory Services Partner. After his retirement from Ernst & Young, Pat continued to contribute professionally by serving on boards and also teaching in the College of Business at the University of Louisville. His favorite post-retirement position was as a board member of ReliabilityFirst, where he served as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee since 2014.

Over the years Pat enjoyed serving on the boards of many civic organizations, including Louisville United Way, Greater Louisville Inc., Leadership Louisville, and Louisville Fund for the Arts. He also was a member of several professional organizations.

Pat was a man of many hobbies. Over his life, he dedicated time to researching and developing an extensive family genealogy, an endeavor and interest which he passed on to his children (and the reason we are submitting this detailed obituary for newspaper and online archives). Pat earned his pilot’s license in 1979 and spent many hours piloting a Cessna 172. During their time in Florida, Pat and Joyce spent many weekends on their sailboat enjoying the Gulf of Mexico with their family. Pat enjoyed traveling with Joyce on various adventures, often to see family and friends. After their eldest daughter Christine moved to northern California, they would all meet in Sonoma and Napa wine country as part of their annual visit, which spurred an interest in and love for wines. Many evenings were spent enjoying the wines they brought back with friends and family out on their patio or at the euchre table. Pat and Joyce traveled several times to Europe for sightseeing, but also to visit important genealogical locations and continue their family research. They also enjoyed annual trips to Florida during the winter to enjoy the weather and reconnect with friends.

He recently celebrated 45 years of marriage with his beloved wife, and is survived by Joyce, children Brian Patrick Cass (Erica Chang) of Lake Tahoe/San Francisco, California, Christine Julie Cass (Colin Fiske) of Arcata, California, and Lauren Marie Cass Lane (Mike Lane) of Lexington, Kentucky, and granddaughter Alexis Julianne Lane (due December 2024), as well as a large and loving extended family. He is preceded in death by his sister, Constance “Connie” Tansor, his brother, James “Buck” Cass, and his parents.

Due to family medical circumstances, we will be having a delayed “Celebration of Life” with Pat’s favorite wines and foods in Louisville on May 31, 2025. If you are interested in being notified of further details please contact [email protected] and additional updates will be sent out as the time approaches.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider donating to one of the below groups in memory of Pat.

FORCE (Facing Hereditary Cancer Empowered); https://teamforce.facingourrisk.org/give/514470/#!/donation/checkout

Mulligan’s Living Kidney Donors (send checks to 375 Wilsonville Road, Fisherville, KY, 40023)

As Pat was a recipient of an organ donation, we also encourage you to consider registering as an organ donor.