Louis Francis Casale

My Father loved to make everyone laugh, and I was no different. His favorite was to demonstrate page 78 from his drama textbook, the correct facial expression and body movements to express the emotion ""shock"". Of course he wouldn't show it to just anyone, and the fun to him was to do it behind Mom's back. She always tried to catch him, but she never did. I - on the other hand - was always there to witness it - and it would make me laugh until I cried. He played a mean trumpet, never stopped playing hide and seek with my mother, and had a laugh that touched your very soul. When Daddy smiled and called me ""Tiger"" my world was perfect and I was unstoppable. But the most important thing to my father, after God, was FAMILY, la famiglia' he would say. The foundation of all things Italian can be traced to family, and even with the mix of Mom's Scottish and German added in, we were TRUE la famiglia. We loved, laughed and lived for each other. But my father wasn't just a father to his four children, he also had daughters that were our friends from high school or the tellers at his bank - and sons that were his furnace man or his groundskeeper. To Daddy, everyone was family, and our Italian dinners typically involved setting up a second table to accommodate the additional ""children"". His love of family had no bounds, and was not limited to location or distance. He spent many hours talking, laughing and loving with the hundreds of cousins, nephews, nieces, and more across the country, and never forgot to send a birthday card - with a dollar or two - to each and every one of them. His love calmed arguments, mended breaks, and built stronger ties than we could ever have realized. He left enormous shoes that my siblings and I combined will never be able to fill. Daddy - you were my rock and my foundation. You kissed me when I was hurt. You calmed me when I was frightened. You were my confidant when I needed advice, and the shoulder I would cry on when life got too heavy. You gave me the strength and courage to face the world, step out in to it, experience it and thrive. With you there holding me up, there was nothing I couldn't do. No matter what I had to accomplish or where I had to go, from the Far East to the Middle East, you believed in me and gave me the fortitude to give 110% - and succeed. I was your little girl, but you were MY end of the rainbow, MY pot of gold, you were my Daddy, to have and hold. You are the treasure I will ALWAYS cherish, so sparkling and bright. There is a saying - Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. You were that candle Daddy, and you lit the world. Thank you Daddy for teaching me patience and understanding. Thank you Daddy for teaching me compassion and empathy. Thank you Daddy for showing me how to love. Thank you Daddy for loving me, and for being the most amazing father a girl could ever have. The greatest blessing of all, was having you as a father. ________________________________________________ Funeral Home Obituary The Casale Family mourns the sudden loss of their beloved patriarch. Lou passed away peacefully at Providence Milwaukie Hospital just one day after enjoying a beautiful party with his family, celebrating his 89th birthday. His entire immediate family, his wife and four children, as well as much of his extended family were by his side. Lou was surrounded in love at the time of his death, just as he was surrounded in love throughout his life. Lou was born in Southington, Conn. to Anna Marie and Pasquale Casale on January 13, 1924, the seventh son of eight children. He was a first generation American, his parents having immigrated from Ventosa, Italy. After attending Lewis High School, he enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy. From there, Lou enlisted in the U.S. Navy and began his WWII service. A proud Navy man of squadron VPB-114, he served in the European/African Middle Eastern Campaign as the radio/radar operator in a B-24 Liberator bomber. Following an honorable discharge, Lou settled down in Philadelphia, PA to begin pursuing a career in drama. A most fortunate and serendipitous decision that would define the rest of his life, he met his future wife Beulah Clarke there at The Bessie V. Hick's School of Dramatic Arts. Lou also started teaching ballroom dance classes at Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Baltimore, the same city where he married Beulah on June 13, 1952. All the while, Lou began to find stage success, landing roles in Milford, Connecticut's summer stock workshop and the Patchwork Theatre at Roanoke, VA. He and Beulah often shared the stage with such unknowns as Charles Bronson and Jack Klugman. Lou and Beulah moved to Los Angeles where he continued with the Arthur Murray franchise becoming the managing director for a studio. He enrolled at UCLA and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Theater. His family of four children, who soon followed, fondly recall the stories he told of being onstage at UCLA with another then unknown, Carol Burnett. He taught drama at Santa Monica City College while studying for his real estate license, which he earned in 1959. Lou had a natural affinity for making friends with everyone he met and the real estate business suited him well. An avid lover of dogs, he had man's best friend by his side all his life beginning with his sweet Cocker Spaniel ""Lady Toots"" who flew with him in the Liberator bomber. Everything about Toots was official, even her personal flight log. In 1964 he and Beulah moved their family to Portland, Ore. where after success in local offices he became a broker and founded Milwaukie Realty in 1967. He had found his niche and continued to thrive in the real estate business for over 30 years. An entirely kind and generous man, he would often give his commission back to the buyers to help them in closing the deal. He was a past president of the Clackamas County Board of Realtors and taught real estate ethics and ballroom dancing at CCC. His church home for 48 years was St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Milwaukie and he taught CCD classes for them for many years. In his retirement years he and Beulah loved dancing and listening to music, watching movies, reading, shopping, gardening, and visiting with their children and grandchildren. His sudden passing creates a huge loss for his family who will miss him deeply. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Beulah ('Bunny'); his children, Cindy (Patrick McDougall), John (Jill), Maria (Christopher Hanulik) and Elizabeth; his sister Carmel (Frank Santy); eight grandchildren; and his multitude of cousins, nieces and nephews. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church located at 10955 SE 25th Ave., Milwaukie, on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 10:30 a.m., preceded by a Rosary at 10:00 a.m. A Committal service will follow mass at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to The Disabled American Veterans Association or St. John Baptist Catholic Church. **PLEASE NOTICE SERVICE TIMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED AS OF 1/17/2013**