In Loving Memory of Brian Walter Casey
January 1953 – July 2025
It is with unbearable sadness and sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Brian Walter Casey, who left us far too soon on July 28, 2025.
Brian was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and it was a city he loved deeply. In 1974, he graduated from SAIT’s Electronic Engineering Technology Program, after which AGT (later known as TELUS) came recruiting. Brian went on to build a proud 33-year career with the company. His work played a key role in major events, including the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis, where he managed complex and critical equipment installations.
Brian had many passions. He loved NASCAR, making memorable trips to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and, more recently, to Talladega Speedway in Alabama. A true football fan, he followed the CFL, NFL, and American college games, attending matches across all three leagues. His fascination with trains began in childhood, shaped by family trips across Canada. Brian could fix just about anything and was always happy to lend a hand to his neighbors. He also enjoyed welding, yard work, and keeping life running smoothly at home.
In 2007, Brian and his wife retired to the peaceful setting of North Saanich on Vancouver Island, where he embraced the quiet joy of summer concerts in the park, music events at the Mary Winspear Centre, and daily walks – always after checking his weather app, of course.
Brian leaves to mourn his devoted wife of 42 years, Shirley; his brother Lorne (Loane); sisters-in-law Jan and Faye (Leo); and a great bunch of cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends whose lives he touched with kindness, humor, and a generous heart.
Brian will be forever loved and missed.
Celebration of Life (casual – just as Brian would like it)
Alberta Service
Sunday, August 24 at 1:30 PM
Woodside Seniors Club
411 Woodside Drive, Airdrie, AB
Vancouver Island Service
Sunday, September 14 at 1:30 PM
Masonic Hall
2040 Newman Road, Saanichton, BC
Ashes to be Spread
Monday, September 15 at 10 AM
Royal Oak Burial Park
4673 Falaise Drive, Victoria BC
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Brian may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
I met Brian through my wife Linda who worked closely with Brian at Telus. Brian and Shirley became close friends along with Bob and Myrna Spence who also worked at Telus. The six of us would celebrate birthdays and Chr44istmas’s together with dinners at one or other of our homes
We also spent times together at Bob and Myrna’s cabin on Kootenay Lake and several week long holidays at our old fishing lodge cabin on the shores of Shuswap Lake. With typical Casey planning meals were laid out days before we got together. Ham was always the first dinner because as Brian would say we could have ham sandwiches at lunch for the rest of the week.
Shirley asked me before one of our trips to have various projects going to keep Brian busy because he enjoyed being busy, she knew Herman. I had a pile of logs by my log splitter, Bob would load the log on the splitter and I would operate the switches and Brian would be on his knees seeing how then machine worked, this goes here and that does this and so on. We had a floating pier held up by plastic 45 gallon barrels which would fill up over time with water. Brian, Bob and I would get under the pier and pop the barrels out remove the bungs and drain the barrels. To remove the bungs we had to use a hammer and punch. When Brian got home he went into his shop and welded me a custom made bung wrench.
When Brian found out I was going to reshingle the lodge roof by myself he insisted on helping me and took a week of his vacation roofing with me. Truely a good friend.
Myrna framed a picture of Brian, Bob and me sitting on an old log on the shore of Kootenay Lake with the caption “Friends Together Forever”.
A while back I made a personal objective to live until 90 thinking it would be great to see my grand children getting married and even seeing great grand children. But it’s not all that great. You wake up in the morning with new aches and pains, your eye sight goes and you have lens inserted in your eyes, your hearing goes and you spend thousands of dollars on hearing aids which never seem to do the job.
But most devistating is saying goodbye to cherished friends such as Brian Walter Casey. Your world just gets so much smaller.
We met Brian and Shirley through his cousin Dave. The first impression I had of Brian was of how warm and friendly he was. He was genuinely interested in people, he made you feel heard and listened to. We shared a love of Nascar with Brian and Shirley, we all went to Vegas in 2007 for the races. We started a Nascar pool from that day on. We were also able to go on an Alaska cruise together in 2009. His love and curiosity of all things was inspiring. I was very glad to hear that he and Shirley were going to different Nascar tracks, and traveling the last couple of years. His stories and anecdotes will be missed at the family gatherings. We were very blessed to have known him. Our deepest condolences to his true love Shirley. He’s waving the chequered flag!