Esther A. Casey died peacefully on May 7, surrounded by family and her beloved pets.

Mimi, as she was known, was born in Providence, R.I., on March 11, 1927, one of 10 children. Her family moved several times but Mimi spent much of her younger years in Somerville. After high school, she went to work at Stone and Webster, where she met John H. Casey, an engineer with the firm. They began dating and fell madly in love. Within five months they decided to marry, and remained happily married until John’s death in 1998.

In the early years of their marriage Esther and John moved into the family home on Walnut street in Natick, joining John’s father, his siblings, and their spouses under one roof. Later they purchased the home from the other siblings to make it their own.

In 1952, John and Esther welcomed their first son, John H. (Jack) Casey, followed in 1959 by son Donald M. Casey. They raised their sons in the family home until the boys became adults and moved on to their own homes. In 1999, having lost John, Esther moved to Martha’s Vineyard, to live near Don and his daughter, Kiana, who had by then dubbed her Mimi. She purchased a house in Edgartown and filled her days by helping to take care of Kiana when she was not in day care or school. The two were as thick as thieves and remained so as Kiana became an adult. In 2007, with failing eyesight, Mimi moved in with Don and Kiana, always being there for the two of them, while also helping to keep the house running smoothly. Their treasured German shepherd, Bella, joined the family in 2010.

Mimi was the center of the family, around whom all worlds joyously revolved. When Don married Gail Gardner in 2014, Mimi became a mother and grandmother by proxy to Gail and her

kids, Riley and Amelia Craig, as well as caretaker to their pets Brinkley, Chester, Bear and Hallow.

Mimi’s health declined in the last few years, and recently she was being cared for by hospice nurses Celine Maney. Susan Nugent, and Cheryl Kram, as well as CNA’s Nancy Gaspar Brown, Kim Gaspar Johnson, and Corinne Dorsey. She was also under the watchful eye and excellent care of Dr. Mike Michotek for a number of years. The family is eternally grateful to everyone who helped make Mimi’s final days and weeks easier.

She is survived by her sons Jack Casey and his wife, Lee, and Don Casey and his wife Gail; grandchildren Jessica Casey and her husband Seth Springer, Jake Casey and his significant other Megan Dennehy, Kiana Casey, and Riley and Amelia Craig; great-grandchildren Colton and Brodie Springer; a sister Marion Bagley; nieces Marion Bagley Karsina and Penny Bennet and her husband Jim, as well as a large, extended family. A private service and interment were held May 22 in Natick.