Marie Casey
Marie Casey
Marie Casey
Marie Casey

Obituary of Marie Casey

Marie Casey was born to Alex and Mary Riach in Buhl, Idaho, February 6th, 1929, the oldest of seven children. Her father, a tenant farmer/sheep herder, moved the family from farm to farm in the Buhl, Rupert, Paul, Carey and Wood River Valley areas. Growing up poor during the Great Depression, she had two dresses and one pair of shoes to last an entire school year, putting cardboard inside when the soles wore through. She and her siblings wore underwear her mother made from flour sacks. All seven children slept in the same bedroom in two beds, three boys in one and four girls in the other. When using the outhouse, instead of toilet paper, pages of an old Montgomery Ward's catalog were used. After being so poor, she wanted a good education so she could have nice things, do what she wanted and never be poor again. During her school years, she was an excellent student; at 5'10" she played basketball; and graduated from Wood River High School in 1947. In 1949, while working as a secretary for the State Heath and Welfare Department in Hailey, Idaho, she met and married Kenneth Falen who brought to the union a four year old son, Bob. In 1955, their first daughter, Kendra, was born and two years later in 1957, after being transferred to Pocatello, their second daughter Shelley was born. The family finally settled in Boise in 1959, where she spent the next 20 years raising her family, attending band concerts, parades, drill team performances and sporting events, and participating in camping and summer vacation trips. One of her favorite pastimes was watching her daughters play fast pitch softball in the summertime. She would later transfer that passion to baseball where she became an avid Chicago Cubs fan. While raising her children, she worked for Selective Service and the IRS making many life long friends. After 28 years of marriage and raising three children, Ken and Marie divorced in 1977. In 1987, she retired early, at the age of 57, after a whirlwind, three month courtship, to marry the love of her life George Casey "Geo" and they enjoyed 17 great years together. They spent winters in Yuma, Arizona and summers in Donnelly, Idaho. They visited Finland and took numerous trips enjoying many of them with family. Some of her happiest moments were spent watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up. She loved watching them dig in the hillside behind her home, camping with them in Donnelly and watching them participate in sports and other activities. When George passed away in 2004, she moved into the Willowbrook Retirement Community, joined a grief group and the Red Hats. Through these organizations, she made many new friends. She enjoyed playing pinochle several times a week and was known as the "Pinochle Shark". She was a very generous person, cared deeply for her family, and dispensed advice and guidance as only she could. She had a big heart but it just wasn't strong enough to allow her to recover from surgery. We will miss her terribly. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband George and her brothers David and Tommy Riach. She is survived by her son Bob (Mary) Falen [Soda Springs]; daughters Kendra Falen and Shelley (Doug) McCoy; step-daughter Sharon (Bob) McCollum; step-son Ron (Sunday) Casey [all of Boise]; her sisters Donna Mason [Twin Falls], Barb (Don Emerick) Gibson [Yuma] and Flora Trujillo [Emmett]; her brother Clyde (Pat) Riach [Twin Falls]; and numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We would like to thank the health professionals at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, especially Dr. Morgan, for their compassion and care. There will be a viewing for Marie on Tuesday, January 15 from 6-8 p.m. at Summers Funeral Home, 1205 W. Bannock Street, Boise. Funeral services will be Wednesday, January 16 at 11:00 a.m. also at Summers Funeral Home, Boise.
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