David Joseph Cassellius, age 74 of Glenwood City, WI, passed away January 30, 2024 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. David was born March 20, 1949 at St Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN to Clarence and Alice Loretta (Gillis) Cassellius.
He was raised on the family dairy farm in Glenwood City where his love of farming and the agricultural industry shone through. He graduated from Glenwood City High School in 1967 and continued his schooling to receive a Bachelors in Agriculture Business from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. His first job with FS in agricultural sales led him to northern Illinois where he met his love, Joan.
David was united in marriage on December 20, 1980 to Joan Getz. After a transfer with FS, they made their home in Portage, WI, where they raised their four children. David put his family first and loved being a husband, father, and grandfather. He made memories with his family traveling across the country to various National Parks and historic sites. A family favorite was the road trip to Alaska in an RV with his family along with his parents. He loved downhill skiing at Cascade Mountain in Portage, WI and even ventured out west to Colorado with the entire family to enjoy mountain skiing. On his many trips back to Glenwood City, you would often find him enjoying the day working with his brother Mike on the family farm. You could also find David indulging in many chocolate sweets, watching old western movies, listening to oldies music, or watching the Packer game on TV, only to mute the TV and listen to the play-by-plays on the radio. David will be remembered as a devoted Christian and active Knights of Columbus member.
David will remain in the hearts of his daughter Carey Jean (Christopher) Sang and granddaughters Hannah and Ainsley; and son Kelsey (Diane) Cassellius and grandsons Samuel, Benjamin, William, and Chase. He is also survived by siblings Michael (Lynne’) Cassellius, Carmon (Keith) Hill; brothers-in-law Arnold (Phyllis) Getz, Karl (Crystal) Getz; sisters-in-law Jean (Larry) Messmer, Joyce (Dennis) Bonnet; nieces, nephews, cousins and many beloved friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife Joan Cassellius; his children Monty Cassellius, Jarrard Law; his parents, Clarence and Loretta Cassellius; his parents-in-law Jacob and Thelma Getz; sister Jean Marie Sumner; and his brother-in-law Doug Sumner.
A Visitation for David will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday, February 5, 2024 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 757 1st Street, Glenwood City, WI 54013, with a Mass of Christian Burial starting at 2:00 p.m. Interment will take place at 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at Center Hill Cemetery in Mount Carroll, IL.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Baldwin.
So sorry to hear of Dave’s passing. Dave was part of our Wisconsin FS Retirees Group that gather once a year. Although Dave had not been able to attend our gathering the last few years we always thought about Dave. I will send Dave’s obituary out to the group. I had the opportunity to work with Dave at FS in the late 80’s and early 90’s when I became Manager at Kenosha-Racine FS Cooperative. He was a great person to work with and I learned a lot from him that helped me in my career with FS. Again so sorry to hear of his passing and wanted everyone to know that our thoughts and prayers are with family and friends. Sam Skemp
I will always remember Dave as a kind-hearted easy-going guy. My condolences to the family.