Robert L. Casady, Ph.D. '72

Robert Layton (Bob) Casady, Ph.D. '72, passed away on Jan. 20 at age 77.

Casady was born in Riverside, California, on April 6, 1944, to Robert and Stella Casady. The family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where a brother, Steve, and sister, Terry, were born. The family returned to California, where Casady attended Fontana High School and Pomona College in Claremont, where he was part of the Nu Alpha Phi Fraternity.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Casady pursued a master’s degree in anatomy at Colorado State University. During that time, he conducted field studies on mammals, birds and vegetation at 10,000 feet of elevation. While there, in 1966, Casady met Jeanine Hanson and they were married in 1968 in Denver, Colorado. Casady then attended UCLA, where he received his Ph.D. in anatomy. They had three children, Douglas Robert Casady, James Layton Casady and Erin Therese Illian.

Casady began his working life as a professor of anatomy for medical students and taught at many different medical schools over the years, including Creighton University, Texas Tech University, American University of the Caribbean, Nova Southeastern University and Lincoln Memorial University. He loved teaching and won many awards from his students over the years. While teaching, he opened his own business in Lubbock, Texas: Minute Men Gourmet Foods. Before selling the business, he had grown it to 12 trucks and covered an area that included much of west Texas and eastern New Mexico. While in Lubbock, he went back to school and received his master’s degree in accounting. He passed all five portions of the CPA exam on his first try and practiced as a CPA in both Texas and Colorado.

Casady loved sports and enjoyed refereeing basketball and volleyball, playing tennis and racquetball, and riding his bike, completing multiple century rides. He also loved watching his favorite teams, including the L.A. Dodgers, L.A. Lakers, L.A. Rams and all UCLA teams. He was a voracious and lifelong learner, studying business, investing, chess, stamp collecting and many other subjects. He traveled whenever he had time and saw Europe, Russia, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Casady is survived by his three children, twelve grandchildren, his ex-wife Jeanine, and his brother, Steve Casady, and sister, Terry Jones.

A family memorial service is being planned for this summer.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Casady’s memory can be made to The Shepherd Center.