Henry Lomax Cassady passed away on April 17, 2016 at his home in Daphne, Alabama. A memorial service will be announced at a later date in this newspaper.
Mr. Cassady grew up in Andalusia, Alabama, one of seven siblings raised by his mother, Cora Belle Cassady, an Alatex millworker and union organizer.
Mr. Cassady married his high school sweetheart and surviving spouse, Patricia Powell Cassady, who hailed from an extended family full of lawyers. The couple lived in Sopchoppy, Florida while Mr. Cassady attended college at Florida State University.
After graduating with a B.S. in business, Mr. Cassady worked for Johns Manville in Meridian Mississippi, Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee.
In 1971, Mr. Cassady moved to Evergreen, Alabama because he wanted to return to his roots and own his own business. Mr. Cassady lived in Evergreen, Alabama for 30 years, working as an independent insurance agent.
However, Mr. Cassady’s true vocation and passion lay in public service. He served for eight years on the Evergreen City Council and then served three terms as mayor. Mr. Cassady was the only person ever elected mayor of Evergreen for three successive terms.
At the age of 62, Mr. Cassady retired with his wife to his Bay House home on Mobile Bay.
Mr. and Ms. Cassady were both members of the Episcopal Church in Evergreen, then the Unitarian Church in Fairhope.
Mr. Cassady is survived by his son, Max Cassady, and his daughter-in-law, Utopia Cassady, both lawyers practicing in Evergreen and Mobile, Alabama; by their children and his dear grandchildren, Harper and Walt Cassady; by his daughter, Charlotte Cassady, a lawyer in Seattle, Washington, and her wife, Sima Teherani-Ami; and by his beloved wife of 55 years, Patricia Powell Cassady.
Mr. Cassady was first and foremost a good person. In a family composed largely of contentious lawyers, he was a peacemaker.
As mayor, Mr. Cassady acted with integrity and honesty regardless of public opinion.
Mr. Cassady loved animals, children and the outdoors: his children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces will forever treasure memories of float trips on the Buffalo and Sepulga rivers; cutting trails through the woods behind the family home in Evergreen; loving gifts of pet goats, raccoons, squirrels, and other exotic Alabama wildlife; and weekends spent building treehouses, going for drives down country backroads and being cheered on in athletic events.
In a universe where the only thing we really have is love, Mr. Cassady had plenty of it to give, and gave it readily and forgivingly. His presence will be sorely missed.
And, last but not least, on April 17, 2016 at 4:30 p.m., Hillary Clinton lost a vote.
