Obituaries

Casey passed away on Dec. 21. He was born on Nov. 18, 1973, to Jennifer and Geary Ray.

He spent his early years in Southern California. His mother remarried in 1982, and his family moved to Ferndale when he was in third grade.

Casey was involved in Boy Scouts, church activities and especially sports. He was very proud that in his senior year at Ferndale High (Class of ‘93!), the football team went undefeated, and he was named co-MVP of the league. After high school, he played football at Ventura JC and at Santa Barbara Community College. During high school and college, Casey shared his love of sports with many young people, coaching in multiple youth leagues.


Casey graduated from Chico State University with a degree in recreation. After graduation, he moved back to Southern California to work at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, where he continued to work educating young people in a variety of sports and training adults to do the same. Casey especially enjoyed teaching first aid and life guarding classes for years. It was during his time at the Rose Bowl that he met his future wife, Sarah.

Casey married Sarah Read in 2010. Casey loved sharing many adventures with Sarah, the two most important being the nurturing of their strong Catholic faith and welcoming four beautiful children into the world. The six of them went everywhere together, and they especially cherished long, playful days on the beach. They also enjoyed attending mass as a family, and their faith helped carry them as Casey’s brain tumor cut his life short.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah; daughters, Amy (9), Anna (5) and Claire (3); son, Tyler John (8 months); parents, Jennifer Turley and Geary Ray; and sisters, Emily Adams, Sheree Shapiro and Kimberly Zavodnik.

His family would like to thank his community for all their love and support. Casey will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. If you would like to donate to the family, you can Venmo to @Sarah-Ray–02926.