Solid leadership. A dedicated educator. A friend to everyone.

Steve Casey lived a big, beautiful life and embraced every single person who came across his path.

"Children, men, women, students, it didn't matter their walk of life," Casey's daughter, Coeur d'Alene High School Assistant Principal Tara Nelson, said Friday. "His arms were wide open and his heart was open to everyone."

Casey, a teacher, retired administrator and champion for community and education, died Wednesday at 78. He was diagnosed with dementia three years ago, followed by a Lewy body dementia diagnosis a year and a half ago. His health rapidly declined in the final two months.

Nelson said that although the expectation of his passing was imminent, it still felt sudden.

But Casey would not want people to mourn, she said. He would like them to celebrate his life and the fun memories he created with so many.

"If my dad were here, he’d say, 'Do not cry over me. Play the music loud, keep laughing,'" Nelson said through tears. "All of those things he would say, 'Just show up, be proud, be happy and celebrate.'"

A lifelong resident of the Gem State, Casey earned his teaching degrees at the University of Idaho before moving to Coeur d'Alene in 1977. He first worked as a math teacher at Lakes Middle School. Casey then became an administrator at Lakeland Junior High in Rathdrum, where he worked with teacher Ron Schmidt, who would go on to be the principal of Lakeland Junior High and the assistant superintendent of the Lakeland Joint School District. Casey was the vice principal at Lakeland Junior High when Schmidt was the principal.

"Steve Casey was an excellent professional," Schmidt said. "He loved working with kids, teachers and parents."

Casey returned to Lakes to serve as vice principal in 1985, then became vice principal of Coeur d'Alene High in 1989. He took the helm as principal in 1993. Five years later, he hired Mike Nelson, who now serves as deputy superintendent of instruction for the Coeur d'Alene School District.

"Steve was an absolute legend in our school district and a close mentor to me," Nelson said. "He was my first principal in the district."

Nelson said the first thing anyone would say about Casey is how incredibly compassionate he was.

"Any public event, if he was representing the school, he would cry," Nelson said. "Every graduation, we would have to put tissues in the podium because he would lose it somewhere in the ceremony."

Nelson said Casey took immense pride in the history and the legacy of Coeur d'Alene High, as well as the growth of its students. 

"He'd make sure extra counseling or academic support was available," Nelson said. "To him, there was no way a student couldn't achieve their goals."

Casey always took a leadership approach, taking personal responsibility to get things done.

"He showed that kind of servant leadership everybody strives to have," Nelson said.

He encouraged Nelson to grow and challenged him to aim a little higher, "believing in the potential I had personally," Nelson said.

"That’s what he did for everybody," Nelson said. "He influenced people’s lives, and he did that with class." 

Casey was named Idaho Principal of the Year in 2000 and retired in 2006 after a career filled with joy and characters, including "Mr. Renaissance."

"He was a jokester and loved to have fun," said Tara Nelson, whose dad was her principal at Coeur d'Alene High. "To balance that out, (he had) the highest of accountability and expectation of everything, whether it was integrity or performance. It was, 'Let's have a great time together, but let's be the best at it.' He loved hard, and he played hard, but he worked hard and he expected everyone else to."

After retirement, Casey stayed connected in the community through work at North Idaho College and participating in various local committees.

Through it all, he was a devoted husband to his wife, Linda, with whom he would have celebrated 54 years of marriage this Thursday.

"Her steady presence, quiet strength and enduring support were the foundation beneath his success," Nelson said. "While my dad was the face and life of the party, she was the rock behind the scenes, the constant cheerleader and life source that allowed him to lead, motivate and care for others as fully as he did."

Casey also cherished his grandchildren, Nelson said.

"He wanted for them a full and meaningful life, and he would want the world to know how proud he was of the young adults they are today," Nelson said. "Their existence helped him become a better version of himself."

    Tara Nelson, who is following in her dad's footsteps as an assistant principal at Coeur d'Alene High, watches a Coeur d'Alene vs. Lake City basketball game with her dad, Steve Casey, in January. Casey served as the principal of Coeur d'Alene High for 13 years before he retired in 2006. He died on Wednesday.
  

    Steve Casey smiles as he holds up rubber chickens while seated in his office at Coeur d'Alene High. Casey served as vice principal from 1989 to 1993, then served as principal from 1993 to 2006. A beloved administrator who was known for working as hard as he played, Casey died Wednesday following three years with dementia and a recent rapid health decline.
  

    Mr. Renaissance was a character who surprised and delighted students and staff alike during Steve Casey's tenure as an administrator at Coeur d'Alene High School.
  

    Steve and Linda Casey are pictured across the street from their home at hole 14 at the Hayden Lake Country Club in 2024. They would have celebrated their 54th anniversary on Dec. 18.