Passing of the Great Bill Casello

Bill went by a lot of monikers. "Old Man" Bill, "Bionic" Bill, were a few recently, I don't know how many more he used in his long and amazing life. Bill was an inspiration to me, and I believed I was not the only heart he touched. I will give him his last nickname, The Great Bill Casello.

Bill was always a bit of a mystery to me. I don't really know a lot about his history, but Bill saw most of the 20th century. He saw the depression, he saw the world wars, he saw all the history I only read about. Being a student of observation, Bill remembered it all, and used it in his vivid stories. He had kids enthralled, and not just for five or ten minutes, but for an hour, sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for what Bill would tell them about next. This is how I will remember Bill the best, on those warm summer days at the Leslie Science Center in Ann Arbor watching him weave a yarn where you were whisked away to a Pacific island, an apple orchard, or maybe a Depression age school yard. All those little kids looking up at him from the front row, eyes wide, waiting for the next plot twist. Then Bill might end with a big game of HATS!, where everyone got a silly hat, and we all paraded around taking on the persona of the hat we wore.

But the Great Bill Casello didn't stop there. Bill was a naturalist at his core. Those acute observation skills didn't go to waste, he saw everything. From a tent catepillar on a branch, or a pawpaw at the top of a tree, Bill saw it all. And his travels around the world, looking for exotic and endangered species he cataloged on film and slide. I remember the sound in his voice as he would show us a slide of an animal he wanted to see before they were gove forever from the face of the planet. You could hear how much he cared about the earth and its inhabitants. One of this most lively friends was his dog Patsy (pictured). Bill and Patsy would come by the science center and Patsy would want to chase squirrels all day. In one of Bills acts, Patsy would jump on Bill's lap and they would sing together. You couldn't help but laugh.

Though Bill might of thought himself as a "codger" like some of his characters in his stories, you couldn't believe it. He couldn't be mean and keep a straight face for long. Bill took interest in anything. I remember how he enjoyed looking at my Safari pictures from Africa, and how we shared that twinkle in our eyes when we envied what the other had seen. Bill embraced technology as well, I remember when he got his first digital camera, and how he took pictures of everything. I have been very fortunate to be the recipient of his online nature journal that he sent out to friends about his recent travels and nature observations.

One of the greatest gifts Bill bestowed upon me was a CD-Rom, with the written files of all his stories he had written to date. I was, and am, a budding storyteller as well, and marveled at Bill's uncanny ability to bring life to a story. One day I asked him if it would be alright if I could tell one of his stories some time, and he didn't blink and eye lash, letting me know that it was o.k. by giving me everything he had. I hope I can bring the stories to life, and share the passion he gave everytime. That's what Bill was all about; giving. He expected nothing, and always gave his knowledge, his enthusiasm, his passion, and his caring. Long may we remember The Great Bill Casello.(Obituary)