Dr. Zachary Anders Casey

Dr. Zachary (Zac) Anders Casey, 41, passed away peacefully at his home in Memphis, Tennessee on October 8, 2026. He was comforted by his partner of 15 years, Elyse, and the words of Paulo Freire, the educational philosopher whose teachings he deeply admired. He died following a courageous five-year battle with colorectal cancer.

Zac was born in Billings, Montana on March 24, 1985. Shortly after, his family moved to Washington State, where Zac spent his childhood alongside his parents, Paul and Teresa, and his younger sister, Victoria. Though his answer to the question “Where are you from?” would often shift, his family remained in Washington for thirty-five years, and it was the place he always considered home.

Zac lived life with passion, often citing the quote by Julia Child, “I believe in everything in moderation – including moderation.” This same joie de vivre fueled his lifelong love for sports and music, which began during his elementary and middle school years when he played on baseball, soccer, and basketball teams. An astute learner from a young age, he taught himself to play guitar and keyboard, and was an accomplished bass trombone player in the jazz band throughout high school.

He graduated from Fife High School in 2003, where he excelled in academics and athletics—playing varsity soccer, baseball, and golf—and held leadership roles, including Student Body President his senior year. As President, he fostered a deep sense of community by spearheading activities inclusive of all students, and coined the phrase “Fife for Life,” which is still used by students today. He carried this ethos to Mt. Baker Leadership Camp, participating first as a student, and later serving for several years as a counselor, helping to develop outstanding youth leaders.

In the fall of 2003, Zac attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where he continued in leadership as a Resident Advisor and became a favorite among his peers and residents. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in Social Studies and pursuing his Master’s in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education at ASU, he fell in love with teaching. He chose a path in higher education to maximize his impact on the lives of as many students as possible, knowing that the student teachers he mentored would go on to influence countless classrooms for years to come. In 2008, Zac served as the campaign manager for Tempe City Council candidate Corey Woods, supporting a campaign that saw Woods successfully elected as the city’s first Black city council member. It was this experience, in part, that steered his academic path toward critical whiteness studies and a lifelong dedication to anti-racist teaching and practices.

Zac went on to earn a PhD in Culture and Teaching from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where he was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award from the department of Curriculum and Instruction. Outside of teaching, he co-founded an impactful professional development group that brought practicing K-12 teachers together weekly, supporting and empowering them to bring personalized anti-racist work back to their own classrooms and districts. This collaborative effort led to future professional development opportunities, including work with the national organization Facing History & Ourselves, as well as school districts in other states. His research took him as far as South Africa, where he studied white teachers’ conceptions of themselves as racialized actors, and as close to home as Memphis’s Shelby County. His doctoral dissertation was adapted into his first published book, A Pedagogy of Anticapitalist Antiracism: Whiteness, Neoliberalism, and Resistance in Education, which was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Book Award from the Society of Professors of Education.

In 2014, Zac married the love of his life, Elyse (Wigen), and they moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Memphis, Tennessee, where he joined the faculty at Rhodes College, earning tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2020. As the first faculty member hired in Educational Studies, Zac built the department from the ground up, serving as the department Chair for several years and establishing a Master of Arts in Urban Education licensure program. Beloved by faculty and students alike, he was the college’s inaugural Posse Mentor, received the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Faculty Research (the highest faculty honor at Rhodes), and secured a National Science Foundation grant with the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program—earning Rhodes $1.2 million to recruit and prepare STEM majors to become teachers in high-needs school districts.

In recognition of his work developing the Educational Studies Department at Rhodes, he received the 2019 Rising Alumni Award from the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. Throughout his academic career, Zac was a prolific scholar and writer, publishing more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, numerous book chapters and encyclopedia entries, and five books in under 10 years, including his most recent book, Critical Pedagogy and the Trouble with Consciousness Raising.

Though known to many as Dr. Casey, Zac’s most revered role was that of ‘Daddy’ to his two young children, Zadie and Julien, a calling he embraced wholly and with immense pride. They both embody his playful nature, intelligence, and strong will, and their own love for music, sports, books, games, and curiosity is a testament to the bond Zac nurtured with them in all too short a time.

A dedicated Seattle Mariners fan, Zac shared his love of baseball with his children, making Memphis Redbirds games some of their earliest memories. His love of music led him to play in multiple bands over the years, including his most recent project “Westpool” and a family jam band with his kids whimsically named “Florida Beach.” He was an accomplished chef and cocktail artist with a true talent for food and wine, and he brought the same passion to exploring the world and traveling as often as he could.

Zac will forever be remembered as a devoted partner, father, and family member who held strong convictions and lived faithfully by them. He was a voracious reader and learner who was constantly seeking new knowledge. Guided by Paulo Freire’s principle that we are all simultaneously teachers and students, Zac was an inspiration to many and deeply loved by all who knew him. His legacy stretches far beyond these few words.

Zac is survived by his wife, Elyse; children, Zadie and Julien; parents, Paul and Teresa; sister Victoria (Matt); niece Florence; and his faithful pup, Baudrillard. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Richard and Constance, and Arthur and Carol Swenson.

A Celebration of Life service will take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 7th in the McNeill Concert Hall at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, with a reception immediately following. Zac touched an incredible number of lives; all are welcome. Additionally, an evening gathering will be held for invited and out-of-town guests.

In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations or contributions be made in his memory to the following organizations:

Facing History & Ourselves (Memphis regional chapter): An organization that uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry and hate.

LINK: https://give.facinghistory.org/secure/give-now-facing-history-47

Memphis Shelby County Schools (Family & Community Engagement Department): Tangible contributions of (new) winter clothing, toys, and gift cards will directly support MSCS students & their families.

EMAIL: Rosalind T. Stevenson, [email protected]

Wellness & Stress Clinic of Memphis: A community-academic partnership coalition that offers free primary care, social work/case management, emotional fitness, and legal services to uninsured & underinsured residents in South Memphis.

LINK: https://wellness901.org