We are hoping to collect lots of books for you. You did so many wonderfull things for the kids in Gallon Jug.Now we are going to step up for you. all of our love, The Tobin's & The Cherico's

Jill, Mike, Makayla and Bryce. I hope you all had a wonderful party in heaven for Makayla's 3rd B-day. I know you are with Grandpa Peter, Uncle Scotty and your wonderful great grandparents Ruth, Harold, Audrey and Howard. Love and miss you all. Aunt Ree

love you uncle danny miss you so much

You made me laugh.You made me smile. I wish you could celabrete yor birthday with your family. I remeber us eating ice cream and painting your nails. I miss you! all my love, Rylie (your big cousin)

Dear sweet Makayla, We miss you so much...I know you are eating ice cream, avacodos & cake on this very special day ...tiny dancer, little taz, blond curls, eyes blue, thank you for being you - so precious! All my love, xoxo Chrissy

Happy birthday, my dear sweet Makayla. All my love, Nana

Happy 3rd Birthday MaKayla!

Mr.Mike and all of his family are part of me.Even though i can no longer see them i know that they are close to me because they are in my heart and they live.They live in those memories they left us.They made us all part of there lives and taught us what is good and what is bad.They both were my teachers the best ones i ever had.Every day,hour,minute,and second they lived with us they gave us all of there love and friendship.Miss Jill was patient always smiling and making us smile with her contagious smile.Mr.Mike a great father, teacher,and friend made us,his students laugh in class with his jokes.Makayla and Bryce so innocent,cute,and so adoring made everyone love them by just looking at them.I will miss the Casey family and will always have them in my heart and thoughts no matter where i am or what i am doing.And as they wanted everyone to do i will be like them and will never giv up.

Mr.Mike, He always making me smile.I remember that when i was mad he made me happy.Mr.Mike the best teacher ever. I always taught of him like a friend and role model. Teaching for him was very important . He didn't care how much he won , he loved us and we loved him.Thank you for teaching me every piece of knowledge i have .I always loved how he joked when he was bored.Mr. Mike you will never be forgotten. May god bless you!!Rest in peace!!

My mother died almost 5 years ago. Each mother's day that I have tried to celebrate as a new mom my heart aches because of how much i miss my mom. Yesterday my heart ached for Penny and Linda so much. I can't imagine. and also for Jillian because what a great, although brief, mother she was. So patient and loving. so calm and appreciative. a favorite jill mother memory of mine.... Jill asked me one day, "what do you put in a diaper bag? i see all of these mom's with the big diaper bags, and i wonder what is in them? i just need a diaper and some wipes." i miss you Jill.

I am so sad to hear about Jill and her beautiful family. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the family and friends of the Caseys. I knew Jill in elementary school. I was very shy back then and I remember how popular she was. So pretty and smart. Every boy had a crush on her back then and all the girls envied her so much. She used to sit at the head of her lunch table with Becky, Shannon, Natalie, and Kerry and everyday I would look on from a different table and want so badly to be part of of her circle. Now it seems so silly but back then if you could sit at Jillians table then you were in. So I remember one day we were waiting outside one of the classrooms, I think it was Mrs. Smiths and it was the beginning of sixth grade and she out of nowhere just said hey, and me being shy could feel my face getting very red and I felt very nervous but managed to squeak out a hello. And literally from that moment on my school life changed because the conversation progressed and eventually lead to her inviting me to her lunch table which was huge. It was a small moment with a huge affect on my life. Thanks Jill wherever you are, you must be an angel!

It’s weird because it has been two months and one day and yet I sit here and look at the pictures and it hurts just as bad, if not worse, as the night I found out of your passing. I thought it would be easier but the pain doesn’t seem to subside. The weather is getting better and it brings me to thoughts of Cape Cod. However, it saddens me to think that this year Michael and Jill and their beautiful family will not be there. It wouldn’t have been long from now when we all go to Penny and Franks and welcome Mike and Jill home with a few beers and veggie burgers on the back deck. How I always looked forward to their arrival. I miss you guys everyday and love you every second. God Bless.

I lived in VT for a long time and was lucky enough to be an acquaintance of Mike and Jill....Although, I was never extremely tight with either of them I always enjoyed seeing them together at mutual gatherings etc. I secretly envied the obvious love they had for eachother. It was radiant. I have been in the real-estate business for the past 10 years and about one-year ago made a switch to teaching. I have always looked up to people who chose this noble path in life. I was writing a paper for grad-school about the challenges and joys of teaching impoverished children when I heard the news. I was floored, speechless, saddened, and inspired all at the same time. Mike and Jill. I learned a lot about what you have become and the lives you certainly changed in your short time here. Your accomplishments are so inspiring. Reading about what you have done has given me the true meaning of love, service, dedication, and family. I hope to be able to inspire my students like you both have inspired me. Keep an eye on my mom and sister.....They are up there w/ you......looking down..... Shine on.

Michael, I've been meaning to hop on here for a couple weeks; I went to SF a few weeks ago to see Phil's 70th birthday show. I can't believe that dude is 70 yrs old! It was pretty crazy night, 6 1/2 hrs over three sets, and I thought about you for almost all of them. Just like all the things you loved, your passion for music - and for the Dead and Jerry in particular - was so contageous. I'll always carry that with me. I miss you, brother. Granite

Think of you everyday. Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Jillian. We love and miss you! Thinking of you all today and everyday, actually.

It's spring! It's your birthday, and I miss you so much! I'm sure that flowers are in bloom where ever you are. I know how much you love the change of seasons! This time of year reminds me of you now, more than ever. I love you! Monica

Happy Birthday Jill. I think of you and the family every day!!! Love you guys.

We will never stop missing you...... Love Always

Happy Birthday Jill .. you were always the one who would remember to send out the b-day cards .. not sure how you did it .. Miss you much

Happy Birthday Jilly, I miss you everyday. I love you all so much

Tried writing a few times but now its time- Jill , we had some fun adventures over the years, you were one of the best road tripping partners I ever had. Cruising down the open road in the volvo, tunes blasting, legs hanging out the window and our scarves tied like Thelma and Louise to tame our hair. You were the voice of reason while I concocted some plan...and sometimes we executed that plan and we would laugh and laugh. The times you strongly discouraged me from something...thank you as you often had this very gentle way of letting me know that my plan was just not meant to be...We started our adventures on our way to Yosemite, helluva summer huh!? My dad dropped me off at your house, our parents were nervous and sad and we COULD NOT WAIT to pull out of your driveway! From the Blue Ridge to Graceland to some sketchy camping spots that you were always wayyyy more comfortable with than me..to being followed intently in stores(we looked a bit too scrappy for the likes of them) on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills because I insisted on looking for movie stars...we saw and experienced a lot. And that was only our drive out there! You met Monica in Yosemite and the three of us were inseparable, for many years after that. YOU were so kind hearted, an incredible conversationalist and you loved to laugh. That summer was the first of many road trips, phish tour, heading to live in Jackson and everything in between. After some time, with the exception of your wedding we kind of went seperate ways for a while. It's ok, things happen and I will try really hard not dwell on that. Very recently we exchanged lengthy emails and we realized what a silly length of time it had been since we communicated. I realized what an incredible, non judgemental, loving and close friend you were and I missed you terribly. We had plans to see eachother soon and now it will have to wait a bit I guess. I'll see you and Casey again, I believe we have some dancing to do... I miss you both, I really do, Love Maire

I wish I knew the Caseys but I knew the Schuesslers who are an amazing family. When I was little I was lucky enough to become friends with Jill and I remember the day she invited me to sit at her lunch table in elementary school. She was by far the most popular girl ad for her to even talk to me meant the world. She was so beautiful and kind. Girls wanted to be her and boys wanted to be with her, so to here where her life headed with being a teacher and helping people does not surprise me at all. She and her familys time on this earth was unfairly cut short.

Jillian Schuessler Casey, was the most amazing person I have ever met. I grew up will the Schussler family and the memories I have are great childhood memories. From our trips to Sugarloaf, Quickis Hole, Bay View, Long Pond they just go on and on. I haven't seen them in nearly 8 years and in the past 8 years I have said on numberous occasions "I need to get in touch with them". I am angry that I never got to meet Mike and there beautiful children. And am mad that I never reconnected with them over the past 8 years. My favorite memories are vacations to Sugarloaf as kids and through our teenage years. Jill and I were on our last run of the day, on the T Bar when it stopped and broke down. Jill and I being 14 yrs old we stupidly decided to split up instead of sticking together. The snow being waist deep, I got out and Jill not. She was not answering to my yelling. So I being scared skied to the bottom where my father and Dr. Schuessler were waiting, after notifing the mtn they flew up on the snowmiblies to find her. We were all in panic, and then here comes Jill with a smile on her face like nothing was wrong and at this point the sun was setting. Till this day I ride the T Bar now with my daughter and wife and they have heard the story so many times when I don't mention it, they do. We were neighbors at Sugarloaf and I still go up there all the time and look over to the Schuesslers old house and smile. It is memories like these that will never let me forget what kind of a person Jill was, and I can only thank her for those memories. The Casey family was taken from us all and we are left with memories we must carry those on. with love, Ryan

I knew Jill only for four years of my life, but they were important years. They were my high school years. I thought long and hard before I wrote this. I have a lot of memories but I didn’t know how appropriate they would be along side those who knew her so well. Then I realized that this web site is not designed to censor memories. This site is here to tell stories to others about the person I knew and when I knew her. These are not emotional or deep memories, they might even be considered stupid or immature. However, they are important. Important to me because this is what I have. I dated Jill in high school as a junior. She was the first girl I ever told “I love you”. I didn’t have the guts to do it in person so I told her over the phone. Jill being Jill, not wanting to hurt my feelings took a long pause; she needed a second to think of how to let me down easy. After what seemed like an eternity, she simply said “thank you”. I was devastated then, but I can laugh now. How could I not have loved her, she was special; smart, funny caring and true. I never got a chance to meet Mike but I know if he was the man that married Jill he must have been all of those things and then some. A particular memory of mine is a night just like any other hanging out with Jill, Whiteboy and Monty. Whiteboy had to go home early as usual; he probably had to clean the seaweed out from around the boathouse or something. As I remember it, C.W. had one “special cigarette” left. Before going home, Monty and I pleaded with him until we were blue in the face to give it to us, but it was to no avail. Thank God for Jill. With a head tilt and a smile, she said, “please”. That “special cigarette” came out of his pocket faster than Billy the Kid drawing a pistol. Monty and I thanked Jill profusely. She had pulled off the impossible. The funny thing is that she had no idea her soft voice and beautiful smile had just been used as a power of persuasion. To her she was simply saying “please Chris” just like me and Monty had. It was a warm, muggy New England summer night so we ended up on the back porch. My parents always had the uncanny knack for coming home early when we were up to no good. So, in preparation we began to play the game “how are we going act when my parents get here”. I vividly remember Jill’s rendition of “Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, beautiful night isn’t it?” This went on for at least an hour. They never came home but I’ll never forget the laughs we had over the possibility that they might. Another memory I have is of Alex, Jill and I the summer of my senior year in high school. I can’t remember how the three of us we became so close but we hung out all the time that summer. This particular night we were going to a party in Tiverton, RI. We took Alex’s little blue Toyota. It was way out in the boondocks. We passed the time listening to music, cracking jokes and simply having fun. We had to walk along a long peer to get to the beach were the party was supposed to be. The stars were out. The breeze was warm. The night was perfect. When we arrived, about ten people were sitting around a campfire, all strangers. We could have just left but we stayed, just Alex, Jill and I, sitting in the sand, away from the crowd, talking, laughing, and enjoying our youth. I can’t believe how clear this memory is for me. It’s funny what the mind chooses to remember. I mean, it was a nothing night but it was a night of everything. It might sound selfish but I am jealous of those who knew the Casey’s and Jill after I did. I am pissed that I never got to know Jill as a woman and a mother. I am pissed that I never met her husband and her children. I had not seen Jill in thirteen years and now I can’t. Honestly, I was shocked at how much this affected me. I am sad. I am angry. I just don’t understand. To all the new friends I made at Chris Whites remembrance party and to the ones I already had, I want to say thank you. Thank you for the memories you shared with me. I also want to thank whoever created this site, it felt good to tell these stories.

I was friends with Jill once upon a time, and sadly we drifted apart for no reason in particular. There was a time she was like a sister to me and it saddens me greatly that I did no get to know Jill Casey and her amazing husband and beautiful children. But Jill Schuessler was amazing in her own right so sweet and beautiful inside and out. What I remember most about Jill was how much she loved her sisters, and how when we were little her favorite thing to play was school in the basement of Channing Road and she was never the older sister to not include her beloved sisters in fact she would always make it a point to do activities that would include Amanda and Melissa. I always admired that about her. Another memory that sticks out in my mind is as we got older she could have had any guy she wanted and I asked one day why don't you date any of these guys and she said because she was patiently waiting for the guy that would change her entire universe. She said he is out there somewhere and I when I am meant to meet him. I see the pictures of the Casey family and I can so clearly see that Michael did change her universe and hers his I am sure. She always wanted to be a mother, a wife, and a teacher, and it makes me happy to know that she achieved those things as only Jill could with love, kindness, generosity, and grace. I love you Jill, and my heart goes out to your mom, sisters, the Caseys, family and friends.

I have to share with you guys an experience I had a day after the funeral. I was in East Wareham looking for a garage to fix a flat tire on our rental car. driving through the small town i came around the corner and looked out across the ocean...it was marbled green and light blue....it looked just like the waters off the coast of Belize....Mike, Jill, makayla and Bryce are real close...we will find them in the strangest of places if we look at it right! I love you all Bill

Amanda said it best .. the bar has been set. The best sister .. daughter.. the best friend .. the best parent .. "The Rainbow Family". Raise a glass to the Schuessler and Casey family for creating perfection. They have changed the world. LOVE

...I met the Casey family just once and only briefly at a coffee shop in Belmopan some months ago... we chatted, "compared" babies, shared a little moment in time. There was something so unforgettable about them - they seemed lit up from within...! When the news of the accident spread all I could think of was this beautiful, beautiful family and what a loss this will be for many people who knew and loved them! To all the friends and family of the Casey family, my heart goes out to you! Gaby and Baby Aylena in Belmopan

I have no words to express my sorrow for the loss of the Casey family. They were great people here in Gallon Jug, Mike and Jill were nice people and teachers. I will always remember with love and affection. I remember when I met them, Mike with his ponytail and she thin with a nice smile. Makayla a pretty girl and she liked to ask for water in Spanish, Bryce a cute baby. Always be in my heart Jill, Mike, Makayla and Bryce. God keep them in his glory.

Every time I close my eyes I see their beautiful faces, everytime I simply try to breathe I think of them...while they are no longer walking amomg us, they will never be forgotten...I just wish I could make some sort of sense out of this thing we call life. I visit this beautiful site numerous times a day, looking for something to grasp on to...I visit hoping this nightmare will end, I visit hoping to catch a glimpse into the lives of these remarkable people. They all say there is a lesson to be learned from all experiences, but what is the lesson here? Make every moment count? We know all this already, there has to be something more...there must be a deeper meaning because this is all so senseless to me and there are no words to try and explain the heartache those who loved Jill and Mike feel...I lost touch with them and many of my other SMC friends after college...At that moment in time, we were all a true circle of motion...coming of age together...I feel such a loss at having lost contact with them...never did I ever expect to have to write something like this. The Casey Family has made me appreciate every moment we have together in this all too precious world and as Emily Dickinson wrote, "Unable are the loved to die for love is immortality." Jill and Mike will be with us always in our hearts.

I remember the 1st time I met Michael Buckshot Casey. It was early freshman year and I made my 1st trip up to St. Mike's to visit my brother, Eric. We were gearing up to head out for the night and out walks this kid with a Mexican type poncho and a fanny pack. Instantly, I knew this guy was one of a kind, and he certainly was. Not long after, I met Jillian. Her radiant glow and spirit were infectious and she lit up a room like no other. Mike, Jillian, and the rest of the SMC crew made me feel as one of their own. I cherish all of the memories we all have made together since that day in the fall of 1995. Mike & Jillian contributed more to life and this planet in their 32 years than most do in a lifetime. I miss them and their beautiful children deeply and always will.

When I pray, I often say the serenity prayer… “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Until today, this was a plea to help me get through difficult times, even just a tough day. But today I could say, “God, make me like Jill.” She exuded serenity, courage and wisdom. We truly had angels walking among us. Jillian was always an angel to me. So peaceful, so beautiful. She brought a little bit of heaven to us here on earth. And I truly believe she and Mike, and their beautiful babies, are living in paradise, where there is everlasting sunshine, endless love, and the deepest peace. Maybe they were destined for something more than this little earth holds. Even in this cold snowy weather, I imagine a warm breeze gently and sweetly sweeping over all of us who are grieving, and I feel that this is Jill, Mike, Makayla and Bryce giving us all a hug. This tribute shows that we will never truly part from them. Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I always felt warm and happy when I saw Jill, and I was so happy to see her find such a perfect match in Mike and feel the joy of having children. Jill, her sisters and mother are very special to me and my family. My heart is with you all, you who have taught me so much about courage and strength. I love you very much, and I miss Jill and her family. I am honored and blessed to have known them. Kate

I knew Mike and Jill through mutual friends at SMC. My memory of them was that they always seemed to be smiling and ready for a conversation with you. The memory that sticks out to me is that I had not seen either in several years when I saw them at a wedding. There was large group of SMC grads there and people that were a lot closer to Mike and Jill then I was. But what I think shows their spirit best is that they made a point to come over and sit down and ask how my wife and were doing. It wasn't just a a quick inconsequential inquiry, but a genuine interest in how we were as people. The world has lost very special people.

Mike was a great athlete. He was about 5 foot tall up in till his junior year in highschool. He once said to me "I wonder if I could of went pro if I was bigger." He was talking about hockey... All his freinds in VT knew what a great skier he was but I wonder if everyone realized what a great hockey player he was. He was unstoppable from the age of 5 to 14. People caught up to him as they got bigger and he didn't. Don't get me wrong he was always a good player but when we were young he was a pheanom! When my brother and I were around the age of seven I'm guessing we were asked to shadow Mike on the ice. That was our only role to be played in that championship game in Glens Fall. Not sure what the result of the game was. That was the kind of respect coaches had for his talent. I suspect it was a few years later we became teammates and freinds. He has always truly been a standout and someone I am so proud to be able to call my freind.

It has taken me almost a week to write this, and I quite honestly didn't think I could. But I've read so many heartfelt memories from friends of Mike and Jillian that I am comeplled to share. I've known them both since the first week of college, which scary enough to say was 15 years ago. But the memories that have been flooding back over the last week make it seem like yesterday. To say they were good friends of mine would be an understatement, they were best friends, they were family. For four years they were part of a family that includes many of the people who have written here on this site. It wasn't a loose group of friends like many others have in college, we were more of a commune. And I can't help but feel like our innocence is lost. My SMC family has lost two very special members, and two more that I never got to meet, and that breaks my heart. I've had experience with tragedy in a different form before, but this one seems to hurt so much more. I'll never forget, the summer between freshman and sophmore year, sharing a 8 X 10ft room with Bugger at Loomis St, and we were jumping off cliffs at Red Rocks into Lake Champlain with Gunner, Chris Grantz, Pat Flanigan, Marone, and many others. We were all jumping the 40ft cliff, no problem. But we were all in the shadow of "the 76'er". No one was going to do it, but Mike, Marone, and I went up "just to check it out". We agreed during the climb that if one of us goes, we all go, completely certain that we'd all chicken out anyway. We get up there and not a minute goes by and Bugger jumps! Shiiit!!! I look at Marone, he looks at me, and it was a race, because neither of us wanted to endure the torture of being up there alone, last to go, forced to jump. So I ran and jumped, and it was exhilarating, and the first thing I saw when I surfaced was Bugger's face in agony, "oh my god, did you get a wedgie?!!" Needless to say, the adrenaline from that jump propelled us through a keg that night. I'll always cherish my friendship with Jillian (I always called her Jillian, I think she enjoyed that). She was a special person, not many like her in my lifetime. I was always waiting for her meanstreak to come out, and it never once did. She is truly one of the only people I've ever met who never uttered a bad word about anyone or anything. I was Bug's roomate sophmore year in North Campus when he began dating Jillian. I spent a lot of lunches at the Red Onion playing the role of Third Wheel. Lucky for me, Jillian thought my bad jokes were funny. She carried herself so well, and was such a good friend to so many. She was a pleasure to share time and space with, and she was as loyal and compassionate as they come. I will miss her. My heartfelt condolences to the Casey and Schuessler families. Love, AP

It hurts my throat to write this, but reading everyone's notes further exemplifies the awesomeness of our lost friends. Just knowing how many people they touched through your stories and photos can hopefully help muster a smile somewhere. I first met Mike in 9th grade at a school weekend retreat at Silver Bay up in Lake George and we kept in touch with an occasional phone call or a random get together over the next few years. To my surprise, I bumped into him again outside the mail room a day or two into freshman year. Mike was standing around with a bunch of people playing hacky sack & cranking tunes. That was Mike…….at school for two days, had met a dozen people and was having good times with some that would eventually watch him get married. Some people are destined to make a difference, and we were all fortunate enough to be touched by their true passion for life. Some fun memories are early day road trips in the Rabbit, dreamcatchers and wolves…… (literally t-shirts, candle holders, calendars, thermometers, etc)……..Stella…..AKA the Monger and everyone that helped walk her out of the van parked behind the gym during breaks between classes – Jill liked that. One of my most fond memories is from the first time we went to see them at Gallon Jug. Mike and Jill brought us to school with them to hang for the day with the kids. We headed out for a break in the Mango trees, where all of the students could bring a mango home after school. I was trying to teach the mango song to the kids, and how “the hands and feet are mangos, you’re gonna be a genius anyway” and the kids were dancing around and Jill got a real kick out of it. She always brought that day up when I saw her, we always laughed about it, and those smiling faces and that sunny day will be with me forever. Although we didn’t see them as much as we would have liked to, all of the time that we did have was spent smiling, laughing and catching up with genuine people that really cared…and I know that we’ll all miss that.

My memories of Jill and Mike are nothing short of always beaming smiles and happiness which bounced through everyone they were with. The amazing achievements these guys have worked through and accomplished befuddles my mind as to how truly selfless and generous there hearts were. I never had the chance to meet their beautiful children, God Bless Them! You will be missed beyond any words I could ever write.

It has been a few days and there are still no words to truly express the loss of a great family and two of the purest souls that have ever touched my life. Jill and Mike will truly be missed. My regards go to the families, friends and loved ones of these remarkable individuals.

After maturing past an entire wardrobe of tie-dye. michael casey loved short bathingsuits, not a speedo or anything but just defintely not the typical board shorts. I will never forget a pair of Columbia shorts that were a staple in the summers that gave Mike the opportunity for a solid thigh tan. And he loved to rock his sunglasses on croakies. I always thought the two were really funny. I'll miss both, Tina