Greatest teacher a person could ever have.  I loved this man.  

Oh, thank you, you many students of Mr. Kasey who poured out your memories for your beloved teacher here. I am jealous,. You had Mr. Kasey for a year or more of class; I met him just one time, in the waning days of his life. But here is what I will long remember:

Mr. Kasey was weak. Mr. Kasey was thin. But still he spoke kindly to me from his bed, saying "Thank you" and "You take care of yourself." And when I turned to leave, this kind man said something we all probably think inside. Mr. Kasey said "Don't forget me."

It's clear from the memories here that Mr. Kasey is not forgotten -- not by his students, and certainly not by his creator, who now welcomes this good and faithful servant to his heavenly home.

Michael Weaver, Chaplain 
Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care
18981 Jeb Stuart Hwy 
Stuart VA 24171


 Mr. Kasey's World Geography class  required me to seriously study for the first time in my young life. I cannot read the name of a city in the former U. S. S. R. without thinking of the geography test I prepared for by filling in multiple blank maps with the former country's cities and rivers.  I had him for World History as well, and he was absent only once that I remember.  It was a memorable occasion, because he had arranged in advance for a guest speaker to show slides of Australian aborigines. Farewell, Mr. Kasey; you were a legend to generations of students.

I am one of Mr. Kasey’s former students at BHS. He was a tough, strict teacher but every person in that building respected him.  He was a true old-fashion gentleman.  I remember one day in world geography class, I dropped my little bag of colored pencils. I bent over to pick them up, and Mr. Kasey corrected me telling me to stop. He then asked the young man sitting behind me to pick up my pencils for me. He said that it was a gentleman‘s job to pick up something that a lady dropped.   Mr. Kasey was also very formal. He called everyone by their first given name. However, he didn’t do that with me. My first name is Elizabeth, but he called me Liza, my nickname, all year. My friends and I always wondered why he did not call me “Elizabeth”.  One more memory… My friend Sherry and I shared a locker right outside of Mr. Kasey‘s room. We had his class after lunch every day. We were always late getting to his class because there was an older student whose locker was beside ours. She would not let us in our locker until she was finished getting her things out of hers.  Mr. Kasey finally called us to his desk, telling us we could not be late anymore. So we told him what the problem was and the next day he was standing outside of his room near our locker watching. The other student was nice to us and let us get in our locker and we were never late again. I loved Mr. Kasey. He was one of three teachers that I had that I tried to emulate when I became a teacher. Thank you, Mr. Kasey, for the memories, the lessons, and your dedication to thousands of young minds. 

 I think this is appropriate.......Paraphrasing President Reagan on the loss of the Challenger......1986  when I was senior in Mr. Kasey's class.        "We will never forget him, not the last time we saw him ....... as he waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God,"  TDK of BHS- RIP  Mission Accomplished Mr. Kasey.

Condolences for his family and friends. 
I had Mr. Kasey as a teacher in 1970 at Basset High School. He was a disciplined teacher and sent young men out of class more than once to put their shirt tail in, my husband being one of them. Knowing that he was in the military,  this makes sense now. He was a good teacher and you were able to follow him if you paid attention.  He gave guidance to a lot of young minds and he would have been a great teacher for students of today. You will be missed.  RIP Mr. Kasey

I met Mr. Kasey when my grandmother was a resident at the nursing home. My kids, especially my youngest, and I would visit him whenever we visited grandma. I continued to check in on him when I started to work there. He was one of the kindest and most respectful gentleman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. My family's life will be that much richer for having met Thomas. We will miss you.

We met Mr. Casey when my father, James Graham, became a resident of the Blue Ridge Nursing Home.  Mr. Casey and Dad  were very proud Vets,  quickly became great friends and we loved to listen to their stories when they were together.  A funny memory... was when we realized that Mr. Casey was going to the café, @BRNH, early each day and at every meal, to save the back table for dad and himself before the women took it over.   Mr. Casey would always inform dad of worldly events and dad would inform him of our family events.  We , and when I say WE, I mean our entire family, became very close to Mr. Casey. When I and my husband plus dad's grandchildren and great-grandchildren came to visit, we always talked with Mr. Casey and he knew us by all our names.  We will dearly miss him and send  Love and prayers to his family.
From: The James Graham Family

Mr. Kasey was absolutely the best of the best!  He was my seventh grade teacher and I truly think that I learned more in his classroom than with any other teacher I ever had.  He was fair as long as you worked to your potential.  He has been missed since his retirement and I personally have missed seeing him walking everyday near the Collinsville post office.  You have my eternal thanks and respect.  

Rest in Peace, Mr. Kasey!

Mr. Kasey was a kind person. He was known to be a "tough" teacher, but one thing for sure if you received an " A " you earned it and anything below you earned it as well.  
I was always impressed at him taking care of his parents in their declining health until they passed. He and I talked many times at the local post office and in asking about his parents he always smiled and said: "we are blessed."
Heaven has gained a good man and I know he is happy to be home with his parents. 

Mr. Kasey was my 7th-grade teacher at Campbell Court (1957-58) and to this day I believe he was one of the very best teachers I ever had.   He gave his best and expected the best of us.  We worked hard in class and on homework, but we knew he cared about us and our futures.  What a foundation for learning and for life he tried to build in his students!  We may not have known it  and appreciated it then, but we were blessed to be in his class.  Throughout my life I have not forgotten him and his influence.  He was a good example for me of the Master Teacher.  Some glad day in Heaven I hope to get to thank him.

He was a fine man, with many friends and admirers.  Mr Kasey was loved by so many people that he came in contact with.  His love of God served him well.   Mr Kasey walked to church every Sunday and enjoyed teaching Sunday School class to the senior men who were his age and older.  My father was in his class and enjoyed every minute he had the priviledge to learn from him.  RIP

What a wonderful man and a wonderful teacher.  Must admit was a bit uneasy going into his class because he had taught my mother many years before and let's just say she did not paint a picture of an easy class.  I soon learned however that Mr. Kasey was a diamond in the rough.  His love for Jesus came through in many ways, and his love for his students as well.  I learned a great deal from him.  Never will forget that moment when while teaching us how a bill becomes a law he got a grin upon his face and asked and then guess what's next.   His response left us all stunned as he did the most Mr. Kasey of MC Hammer "impersonations" and said "It's Hopper Time" .  He was our Senior Class sponsor and helped guide us well toward choosing a class motto that I still cherish today.  Proverbs 23:3-4.  Go rest high on that mountain Mr. Kasey, your work on earth is done!!!  BHS Class of 91 thanks you for making a difference!

What a teacher he was! He was probably the best teacher I ever had.  He was my 7th grade teacher at Campbell Court the year of 59/60.  Oh, did he know how to challenge us. And, as has been previously written, we realized later the great benefit we received from having him as our teacher.  For example, after 7th grade English grammar was a breeze for me both in high school and college. He emphasized composition and we were regularly writing themes and a term paper.  His expectations of us were high but I am persuaded that he set the standard high for our good.  Now I am so glad for how he pushed us.  Mr Kasey was a God fearing, Christ exalting and country loving man.  Those convictions were reflected in his teaching.  He taught us well, taught us much and worked us hard. But, this only served to develop a strong work ethic in us.  Later at Bassett High School,  I came to think of him as a friend.   I still remember those days when he would have after school duty and we would stand and talk.  It has been 58 years or so since he was my 7th grade teacher but I still remember him well and speak of him often. I respected and loved him.  This man contributed so much to my life and I will be forever thankful for Mr. Kasey!         

I knew Mr kasey from Bassett high in 1979 .I never had him but wad impressed with the way he carried himself. I also had the chance to take care of him at the hospital and then at blue ridge. May he rest in peace prayers for the family .

I was a student in Mr. Casey's class in the 7th grade at Campbell Court. I enjoyed Mr. Casey's class but he stretched me in ways I never fully understood until I matured. I remember the themes we were required to write. I never quite got the hang of it in his class but later the experience served as a foundation for later writing.  I also enjoyed his approach to teaching history. Later when I became a teacher, I lived in the same neighborhood as Mr. Casey.  I often saw him out walking. I bought and still have a book he wrote and published near the time I had him as a teacher. Needless to say he made a very strong impression on me. I have missed seeing him in the neighborhood when he moved to Stuart. I will always remember my 7th grade teacher, Mr. Casey. 


I had the honor or teaching with Mr. Kasey at Bassett High School. I found him to be quite professional. He was always respectful of everyone, both students and teachers. Because of that respect, everyone respected him. We, along with several other teachers, were Senior class sponsors. Mr. Kasey was quite organized, and as a result, made our job easier.  I personally think that BHS was a better school because of Thomas Kasey, and it was a privilege to have known him and worked with him!


Mr, Kasey was my 7th grade teacher at Campbell Court Elementary.  He was everything others have expressed and more.  I  learned things in his 7th grade classroom that practically carried me through my high school years.  I consider him one of the best teachers I ever had.  He really put his all into teaching and while his class was hard, I was thankful I had a teacher like him.  He truly was dedicated to teaching and his students.  He will be missed.

Class 1986, I did not have Mr. Kasey in Goverment however I paid close attention too him how he carried himself an what he expected from his students. I say that everyone respected him an that’s what’s missing  in today’s school.  He was a great teacher in so many ways in the class room an outside of class room. Job well done Mr. Kasey May you Rest In Peace 

I was sad to hear of Mr. Kaseys passing. Mr Kasey made me strive to be a better student and person. He saw more in me than I saw in myself. He challenged me and didn’t accept mediocrity.  I know he left a legacy in the community and Bassett high school. He exemplified what a teacher should be and how a teacher should act.
Sending up prayers 
Tammy stephens 
BHS class of 1987

I had Mr. Kasey for Government and Study Hall. May of 1988 I went to Mr. Kasey and asked him what was a person to do if they failed a 2nd semester class. Summer school would be starting the same week I was supposed to go to Bootcamp. He asked what class was I failing and I said, " Yours Mr. Kasey." He looked at me, grinned, and said, "Buckle down Bradley. Buckle down. You'll be alright." I had to make a 92 on the exam to pass that semester. I didn't come close, but  I didn't have to miss that bus to Paris Island. He passed me.   I can still remember my first day in his class. He said, “If you learn nothing else in my class, I want you to learn to spell sovereignty.” Government wise, learning to spell sovereignty was in fact the only thing I learned. But in his class I learned so much more. I learned discipline. I learned what it means to be hard but fair. I learned how you can be strict but still show empathy and compassion. Most importantly, I learned to judge and treat people according to their own merits. All tools that would suit me well decades after learning them.  You will be missed Mr. Kasey. I’m sad that another generation of young kids will not get to know you. 

What a wonderful example of what an educator should be. I never had him as a teacher but watched how he carried himself with the students and other faculty members. A true professional with his job, with students, and all that was blessed to be in his presence. May he Rest In Peace....

Mr. Kasey was what every teacher should strive to be...….professional. He taught me more world history than I thought I could ever learn.  I did not make a good grade in his class but I was educated by him better than any teacher I ever had.

OBITUARY

Thomas David Kasey

May 7, 1931 – January 5, 2019

Collins-McKee-Stone Funeral Home

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