"Our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Cassidy's family and friends. I first met G.J. at Woodbrook Elementary. He was always saying something funny and making me laugh. We (my husband Matt and I) ended up graduating from Carmel H.S. with G.J. He was always so nice and never lost his ability to make people smile. We thank him for his bravery and sacrifice. God Bless G.J. and his family."
In loving memory of
Sgt. Gerald Cassidy
December 31, 1969 - December 31, 1969
Sgt. Gerald Joseph Cassidy II passed away on Friday, September 21st at Fort Knox, KY. He was on medical holdover having been injured while serving for 11 months in Iraq and was still considered by the Army to be on active duty.
Sgt. Cassidy had been a member of Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 150th Field Artillery in Lebanon. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1992 and joined the Indiana National Guard in 2003. As a guardsman, he was previously assigned to a unit of the 152nd Mechanized Infantry and served with fellow Hoosiers in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2004. He later volunteered for combat duty with a Minnesota unit in Iraq as they had an opening and needed another team member. For stateside service, Sgt. Cassidy had been awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal in recognition of his participation in Hurricane Katrina Operation Vigilant Relief. At his funeral service Sgt. Cassidy?s widow will be presented with his Purple Heart by Gov. Mitch Daniels. Major General R. Martin Umbarger will then present the Combat Action Badge and the Indiana Distinguished Service Award to Mrs. Cassidy.
Sgt. Cassidy had always wanted to be a soldier. His love for the Indiana National Guard was only surpassed by his love for his family. His dream was to have a full time National Guard job when his medical treatment was at an end. He was told to apply to the Guard for a position because there were usually job opportunities available to solid, competent combat veterans like himself with a Sgt. E5 ranking. His family was told that his Guard record was exemplary.
Sgt. Cassidy graduated from Carmel High School and attended IUPUI as well as The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. His hope was to be a Jr. High or High School History teacher after his retirement from the Guard. Sgt. Cassidy was involved in the six week summer camp program at Culver Military Academy from the age of 9 years until he was 17 years old. He was a member of the Black Horse Troop. He was on the Precision Drill Team on Horseback and played polo. When he graduated from the Culver program he was Adjutant Commander of 85 young men.
G.J. (as he was called by his family) was a very warm, friendly and loving young man. He always had a smile on his face and never met a stranger. He would have been 32 years old on November 10th.
He is survived by his wife and the love of his life, Melissa Castillo Cassidy. He always told his family that he had been very blessed in life to have found his soul mate. His daughter Abbey Cassidy, age 5, and his son Isaac Cassidy, age 3, also survive. Also surviving are his mother and step-father, John and Kay McMullen of Carmel; his father, Gerald J. Cassidy of Lafayette; his maternal grandmother, Deannie McCarty, now from Carmel but formerly from West Lafayette; his sister, Lisa Hignite and niece, Rachel; Sister, Elizabeth Cassidy, (Tom Novak) and nieces, Emily and Sarah; brother, Darrin Cassidy (Tracy) and nephews, Jeffrey and Eric; sister, Angi Laker (Dale), niece, Brittany, and nephews, Garth and Zach; brother, Jimmy Saddler and niece, Alexus. He has many loving wonderful aunts, uncles and cousins from his father?s side of the family. Other survivors include his mother and father-in-law, Everest and Wilma Castillo and sisters-in-law, Michelle and Monica. G.J. had 3 inseparable lifelong friends, Patrick Tyler, Chris Kloepfer, and Ryan Eggert. Sgt. Cassidy was preceded in death by his sister, Kathleen Erin Cassidy, his maternal grandfather, Howard McCarty of West Lafayette, and paternal grandparents, Joseph and Rita Cassidy of Lafayette.
Calling will be Sunday, September 30th from 1:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. at Leppert Mortuary, Smith Carmel Chapel, 900 N. Rangeline Rd., Carmel. There will also be calling at 9:00 A.M. on Monday, October 1st in Orchard Park Presbyterian Church at 106th and Rangeline Rd. in Carmel. There will be a full military funeral taking place at 10:00 A.M. in the church. Burial will follow at Hamilton Memorial Park on St. Rd. 32, east of Westfield.
In lieu of flowers, Sgt. Cassidy?s family would prefer that donations be made to The Trust Fund for Sarah Flanders, c/o First Indiana Bank, 14841 Greyhound Ct., Carmel, IN 46032. Sarah is G.J.?s disabled niece that he loved dearly. Donations may be left at Leppert Mortuary, Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, Second Presbyterian Church, or any First Indiana Bank branch.
Sgt. Cassidy?s family would like to thank the following Indiana National Guard members; Major General R. Martin Umbarger, Col. Brian Copes, LTC Gerald Hadley, SSC Jeff Robbins, MSG Bradley Bostic, SSC Rodney Dowling and Chaplain Barry Wright for their constant attention, caring and kindness. The many, many hours they have spent with us since G.J.?s death have been much appreciated. Their unwavering support has been critical to us and allowed us to deal with this most difficult time in our lives.
Tributes
"I met GJ just this year when he needed some help with Abbey. He always had a smile and joke that ended with "i'm not getting charged for that am I". I could tell he loved his family and no matter how much pain he was in.. he always had chuckle and you could hear the smile in his voice. He was a great dad and has a wonderful wife. I was glad to have known him and my prayers are with his famiy and his children. Thank you GJ, you will be missed by many."
"To the Cassidy family, my thoughts and prayers are with you all in this time of need. May god bless you, may you feel the strong hold he has upon you. May his wife and children, forever feel his love and courage. May his mother remember his sweet little boy smell and feel comfort. may we all remember his wonderful smile, his contagious laugh, and most of all his ultimate sacrifice, loyalty, and hope. Thank you Sgt. Cassidy, and all those who serve, and those who let them go, THANK YOU!! GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU."
"On behalf of the Culver Academies Horsemanship Department, I would like to extend our condolences to Sgt. Cassidy's Family & Friends at this time of sadness."
"I met "GJ" about 4 years ago as he was preparing to leave the states for a tour of duty. He wanted to make sure everything was in place for Abbey. Through these short few years I had to opportunity to speak with "GJ" several times and shared e-mails while he was away from home. When he would return he would stop by my office to say hello. What a smile! What a wonderful young man! I was fortunate to also meet "GJ"s lovely wife, Melissa and his mother Kay and shared many conversations with them while "GJ" was away. His family was always his number one priority. As many others, I too will miss that smile and those hugs. How blessed I am to have had the opportunity to know him. He truly touched my life and I will never forget him. Thanks "GJ"..... My thoughts and prayers are with his family, his many friends and all who are suffering through difficult time. God be with you all."
"I was a freind of the Cassidy family many years ago, and haven't seen G.J. since he was a wild little 6 year old, begging to stay up a little longer when I babysat. I would sometimes take him with me to fly a kite, but he was more interested in the bugs in the grass. I'm so proud to hear what a wonderful man he grew into. My heart goes out to his family. God bless you. And God bless G.J."
"I never did meet GJ personally but I sure feel like I knew him. I consider his Mom Kay a good friend and she was always telling me awesome stories about GJ. I know that he was a great husband, a super dad and a dedicated soldier. I thank him and his fellow soldiers for their bravery and for serving our country. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. "
"Sending prayers with the angels that are watching over this precious family. His courage will forever be known by those of us out here who listens and sees with our eyes the sacrifices that were made. May God bless this family!"
"We knew GJ from the 1980s when he was a boy. We saw him at many family reunions near Odell Indiana. From reading of his accomplishments, selfless sacrifices, and what would be difficult decisions for the average person, we can quickly identify the traits he acquired from his mother, Kay Mcmullen, and his Grandmother, Deannie McCarty. We are proud of all GJ's family and wish them love and comfort at this time of loss. Love and prayers from Don and Sonia."
"Cassidy family,I served with Sgt. Cassidy in Iraq. He was in my platoon for many months and we affectionately nicknamed him "Butch." We spent many long hours together on various missions, and it was during these long hours that I discovered he had helped with the Katrina recovery effort in my hometown of McComb, MS. This is one of the many memories I will always have of Butch. I am grateful for his service to my birthplace, and I am privileged to have served with him in Iraq.I am full of sorrow for his loss, and I'll pray for the family during these trying times.Sgt. Barry L. Price (Ret.)"
"To the Cassidy family: I am sorry for your loss. My son (Jeff Jones)knew Gerald in High School. I was impressed ,after reading his obituary, at what he accomplished in his short life. You must be extremely proud. Sincerely , Dianne Jones"
"Our prayers and heartfelt condolences are sent to the entire family. My son CJ and I know Emily through CJ's best friend Zach. Emily can tell you about my "soldier" project - I send care packages to many of the deployed military members overseas. Although GJ was not one of my contacts, I am not sure if his unit was or not, I will have to check further and if so, I plan to send them a condolences card as well, as I'm sure they miss him terribly too. My father passed away unex[ectedly this past Monday 9/24 and his calling was held Thursday in the same room as GJ's will be today at Leppert. My Dad was a Korean War vet, so now there are two more wonderful soldier angels in heaven - I'm sure they are swapping some great stories as they both took great pride in their service and had overwhelming love for family. He sounds like a wonderful man in many ways and those who knew him were very blessed. Our hearts go out to you all in this difficult time. "
"Kay, my heart goes out to you at this time. I remember vividly how fond you were of GJ as you spoke of him when he was just a little guy growing up. I'm sure you are proud of what he became. Thank you for his service to our country. May The Lord comfort you, Beth, and the family at this time."
"I had SGT Cassidy in my section for a while before we deployed to the gulf coast region for hurricane Katrina and Rita. It was an honor to serve with him. His wife and family are in my prayers.SSG. Harold SchwartzC-2-150 FA"
"I am deeply saddened to read of G.J.'s death. His loss is profound because his life was profound. My thoughts are with you all.Joe"
"I am so sorry to hear of GJ's passing. He was a childhood friend of mine whom I spent many hours running around the woods and goofing off on various people's pools with as a youngster. I am impressed by the man he had become - no doubt Culver played an enormous role in the shaping of his life.My condolences to GJ's family.Thank you for his service."
"Kay, My thoughts and prayers are with you. It is hard to believe it has been over 20 years that GJ and I have known each other. Starting from our days at Woodbrook to running with the same circle of friends in high school. Thank you GJ for your sacrifice for this nation. May God keep you safe now in heaven."
"Kay and family, I am so sad in hearing of G.J.'s passing. I hope you and the family can remain strong, he was an amazing person. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Our nation is stronger because of people like G.J."
"My prayers go out to the Cassidy family. I have so many wonderful memories of GJ. God bless"
"I want to extend my condolences to the Cassidy family. I was childhood friends with GJ and a classmate from elementary through high school. He was a great guy and always very proud to serve our country. Best wishes to his family and friends.Brent Hardy"
"I want to say thanks to the family of Sgt. Gerald Cassidy. I never knew him, but one thing I do know is, if it wasn't for "BRAVE" men and women like G.J. we would not be able to do the simple things in life, that we all hold so dear. God bless. "
"I did not know SGT. Cassidy but I am a better person knowing of him. What a wonderful, loving, strong man. thank you for fighting for my rights."