ST. JOSEPH – Linda Casey, 69, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 22, 2015.
Linda, beloved wife, mother, aunt, sister, daughter and friend, was born March 14, 1945, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., to Leland C. and Catherine M. (Schafer) Davis. The family relocated to St. Joseph in 1946, and she lived there the rest of her life, except for brief periods in Miami, Fla., and Kansas City.
Linda graduated from Bishop LeBlond High School, where she had been a cheerleader and president of her junior year class. In high school, she met the man who would later become her soul mate and the love of her life, John Casey. After graduation, Linda followed in her mother’s footsteps by becoming a telephone operator, a job she held for 5 and-a-half years. She was then briefly an airline stewardess. While based in Miami, she met her first husband, Charles Robert “Lee” Nichols, Jr., whom she married in 1971 and they divorced in 1984. In 1974, Linda and Lee purchased a one-and-a-half story bungalow, which they moved to ten acres of land on Highway A just outside of St. Joseph. The “house on the hill,” with its panoramic view of the city and country, as well as peaceful solitude, became the family gathering place for Fourth of July celebrations, birthdays, and home movie nights. It also remained her home for nearly 40 years. When a stranger knocked on her door and offered to buy the property “at any price,” she flatly declined. Linda was happy there.
She worked for the United States Postal Service, where she became the first full-time female employee in the St. Joseph office. After two years at the post office, she became a full-time wife and mother for several years, and then blazed another trail when she went to work for the State of Missouri as the first female commercial weight inspector for the State of Missouri. She then returned to the post office, where she worked for 20 years as a mail handler, retiring in 2005.
Linda’s strong faith in Jesus Christ was reaffirmed several times throughout her life. Following the death of her beloved sister, Karol, in 1993, she visited a local church to thank two of its members for visiting and praying for Karol. While there, she reconnected with John Casey, her high school sweetheart, whom she had not seen in more than 20 years. They married on June 22, 1996. Linda never faltered in her belief that the will of God was an active and encouraging presence in her life. She worked hard to bring others to the Lord and to help those in need. She was a member of St. Joseph Cathedral, where she served as a communion minister, taking communion to the outbound.
Linda is survived by her husband of 18 years, John Casey, of the home; her son, Michael Nichols of Prairie Village, Kan.; two grandchildren, Kate and Ethan Nichols; two nephews, Greg Gildersleeve of Gladstone, Mo., and Mark Gildersleeve, and his wife, Christy, of Agency, Mo.; two step sons, John T. Casey and his wife, Julie, of Union Star, Mo., and John Michael Casey and his wife, Amie, of Republic, Mo.; several step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and numerous friends and church family members.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10 a.m., Monday, January 26, 2015, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Father Matthew Rotert Celebrant. The Rosary will be recited at 5 p.m., Sunday, with the family to receive friends until 7 p.m., at Rupp Funeral Home. The interment will be at the Mount Olivet Cemetery. Memorials are requested to Cathedral School. Online condolence and obituary www.ruppfuneral.com

BURLINGTON JUNCTION, Mo. – Wilbur Dale “Tobe” Graham, 84, died Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.
“Tobe” was born March 15, 1930, in Burlington Junction, to Forrest and Sylvia Russell Graham. He married Juanita Maye Plymell in 1952, in Rock Port, Mo. They later divorced.
He was a farmer and had been a bus driver and transportation supervisor for the West Nodaway School District.
He served his country during the Korean Conflict and was a member of Rolla Dicks American Legion Post #315, and was of the Methodist faith.
Preceding Tobe in death were his parents; son, Russell Lee Graham; and brothers, Forrest Jr., Doug and Russell Graham.
Survivors include children, Galen Graham, Burlington Junction; and Faye Pierpoint, College Springs, Iowa; five grandchildren: Natalie Harmon, Jeremy and Nicole Graham, and Dustin and Spencer Pierpoint; six great-grandchildren: Treston and Elijah Sanders, Ian Brodrick, Skylar Cornett and Jake and Jordan Graham; brother, Dean Graham, Savannah, Mo.; sister, Louise Messbarger, Overland Park, Kan., and his best friend Scooby.
Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m., Sunday, January 25, 2015 at West Nodaway High School, Burlington Junction. Celebration of Life is 2 p.m., Sunday, January 25th, also at the school, with burial following at Ohio Cemetery, Burlington Junction.
Memorials may be made to West Nodaway High School, Burlington Junction, Missouri 64428.
Graveside military services will be conducted by the Missouri Military Honors and Rolla Dicks American Legion Post #315. www.pricefuneralhomemaryville.com