Casey Gene Reinhard

Powered on Mountain Dew and 3 Margarita’s smothered burritos he was a novice storm chaser, believer in aliens, devoted stargazer, honorary member of NASA, amateur published author, speedy 5K walker, and believed there was no limit to what he could accomplish.

From the very beginning, Casey showed an uncanny ability to face adversity. As an infant, he survived brain surgery – an early challenge which may have defined another life but never seemed to define his. Casey was simply built a little differently. He could endure extraordinary physical challenges and yet persevered through all, while remaining the most gentle, quiet, and reserved soul amongst the large and lively family tribe he was born into – including father Larry, mother Sue, brothers Jim and Cory, sisters Jenni, Laura, and Carrie, along with a substantial sprinkling of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

He was born on June 30, 1980. As a child, Casey proudly established himself as a Velveeta cheese connoisseur, video game enthusiast, and cartoon critic. He had an unmatched ability to locate the funniest moments and would rewind the VCR tape repeatedly just to enjoy the laugh a little longer. Casey’s wonderfully silly sense of humor and quirky way of seeing the world were apparent from the start. As an aspiring ventriloquist and comedian, he connected with others by means of sock puppets and knock-knock jokes.

Tornados fascinated him, the cosmos captivated him, and 5K walks challenged him. In Casey’s world, big ideas were always welcome. He believed he could do anything he set his mind to and never gave up on his dreams or inventions. He wrote books, used AI to design unique inventions, and dabbled in the guitar.

He also enjoyed travels with Mom around the western United States. Casey drove most of the miles to sites such as the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Pagosa Hot Springs to get warm in the pools, the top of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Mt. Rushmore and Custer State Park, the Grand Teton range and Yellowstone – where a large friendly bear stuck his head in the car window for a look and to say “hi.”

No great storm chaser, stargazer, or inventor works alone, and Casey was no exception. By his side through nearly every chapter of life was his trusted companion Spike, a stuffed dinosaur from the movie The Land Before Time. Casey won Spike in a Shakey’s Pizza summer reading drawing when he was in elementary school, and from that day on the two were rarely separated. For decades Spike remained his loyal partner in cartoon viewing, cloud watching, long walks, and big ideas. Even now, Spike is still right where he belongs - by Casey’s side.

After a long and difficult battle with colon cancer, Casey passed away far too soon. True to his nature, he carried the burden quietly and with the same resilience that had marked his entire life. Casey will be deeply missed. The world would be a much better place if even one more person was like him. He was truly one-of-a-kind – a gentle soul, a dreamer, and a blessing to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. He was everyone’s favorite person.

And somewhere, when storm clouds roll in, or the night is dark and the stars come out overhead, Casey will be there watching closely – with Spike right beside him.

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