By CHRIS FROST
Eagle Times News Editor
CLAREMONT, NH — A stunning number of people full of love and support came to Stringer Funeral Home Friday, Jan. 5, to honor and pay tribute to retired Claremont Police Captain Colby Casey, who passed away Saturday, Dec. 30.
Residents shared stories about Casey, remembered him for his sense of humor, expressed condolences to family members, and all agreed that he made the Claremont Police Department and city shine.
Colby’s wife, Terri Casey, noted the family stands together, but the community keeps them up.
“Without them, I’d be on the floor,” said Terri said. “The unbelievable stories; it takes a village, and here’s my village.”
She paid tribute to the Claremont Police Department, which came out en masse to love and support the family, and honor and respect Colby.
“They took care of everything for us,” she said. “We were kind of walking in circles and didn’t know what to do, and there are no words to describe the love and support of everybody. It’s huge.”
Casey’s youngest son, Joshua Casey, remembered the comedy Colby brought to different parts of life.
“He loved to make jokes and make everyone happy,” Josh said. “He hated it when people were sad. He wanted to be the life of the party, and I’m trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Adam Fronczak, the oldest son, said when Colby made fun of someone, that meant he liked them.
“He kept us on our toes,” said Adam.
Andrew Fronczak, the middle child, said regardless of the tragedy, the family coming together to comfort each other has been amazing.
“With us being together, with as horrible as this has been, this has been the best Christmas ever,” Andrew said.
Police Chief Brent Wilmot was moved by the large crowd of people coming to support the family and honor Casey.
“He made an impact on everybody he interacted with,” said Wilmot. “The family is incredibly strong and is one of the strongest family units I have ever known. If you look up the definition of family in the dictionary, you’ll find the Casey-Fronczak family.”
Wilmot said it’s a time to grieve, but it’s also a time to celebrate.
“We’re celebrating all the different things he did in life and the people he touched,” he said. “The family is close and tight and leaning on each other to get through an incredibly difficult time.”
Jim Dube worked with Casey for seven years and called him a character.
“He was the life of the party all the time,” Dube said.
School Resources Officer Crystal Simonds brought Comfort Dog Sully, who worked through the crowd and helped people feel better.
“I have too many memories to put into words,” Simonds said. “This is where Sully works his best.”
Officer Stephen Nix said Colby was always willing to help out.
“He was a guy who lived for the job, and we all strive to be like him,” said Nix. “He was retired and still came in, looking to help out and do whatever he could to be a part of the department, help the community and be influential to us guys coming in who are new and help the guys who have been there for 5-10 years.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.
