My heart aches for the loved ones of the Casey family. What a terrible tragedy. Since meeting Jill during freshman year at Saint Mike's, I have always remembered her as one of the most peaceful, gentle people I have ever met. They were a truly inspirational couple. My deepest sympathies.

I will always remember one of the first times that I really hung out with Jill . It was her feshman year and she showed up with Mike to go mountain biking with a bunch of SMC guys. I think we were all in shock that this quiet, pretty blonde girl was up for going riding. She had a piece of junk bike, but she kept up pretty well. At one point we realized that she had fallen behind and so we got a little concerned and turned back to look for her. Moments later Jill comes pedaling down the trail toward us with a sheepish grin, her face all red , and she was covered in dirt and mud. It was ovious that she had crashed pretty hard but she just smiled and shrugged it off like it was nothing and was ready to go. I think every guy there was instantly in love... She just had a way of handling everything with a sense of grace and calmness...

I have this tattered shirt in a box in my closet... it's red and orange and yellow... it's thin and it flows and has red strings at the top.... it's full of holes now.... I found it on my bed one day a long time ago with a card that said, "You are my Sunshine... Love, Jill" Thank you Jill. You are the sunshine... I love you so much. Mike I remember the night that you became BUG, as we were driving from Burlington to Hartford for a Phish show in your old blue rabbit (you, me, kevin, banks and proctor, i think).... "He's buggin out.... he's buggin out!" For each of us that ever tried to go with you to the place where your mind lived, we got to touch something deep and beautiful. I'm trying to do that now.... can you feel me? I just want to do half as good as you two did at this thing called life. I think of one of your favorites, Mike--- "won't you try just a little bit harder, wont you try just a little bit more...." The Wheel goes around and around..... Mike and Jill- you keep us all together- you always have... I love you and your babies so much....... I don't know what to say but Thank You....

Words cannot express the grief and despair that we are all going through. There are too many memories to put into words. 28 years of Easter’s, Christmases, Thanksgivings galore. I will cherish every Cape Cod and Lake George outing. Cape Cod will never be the same, especially those volleyball games on the beach. Remember when that woman called the cops on us? Who is going to save Uncle Tim now Jill? I will never forget SPAC, spending more time in the parking lot than the actual concert. Always fond memories were the cookouts at Penny’s and the drinks after at Lea’s or McCaffrey’s!!! I am so grateful to have attended your most beautiful wedding. I am honored that you were able to attend mine with Bryce just being days old. What pops in my head when I think of you two is how every time I was around you it made me want to be a better person. I remember an instance when Dan and I were driving away from Penny’s, just this past Christmas, and we both said “what nice people.” Nice doesn’t even describe you. Passionate. Sincere. Honest. Loving. Those are better. Michael and Jill, I love you. I love you more than words can say. Watch over us. Be proud of us. Continue to spread your love. PS: Tell Gram and Pop I said hi :)

One of the things that I keep thinking about to try and make myself smile is how Jill was the most endearing, calm and soft spoken person that I've had the privilege of knowing......Of course, that is until you played a competitive sport/game with her! I keep thinking about the first time I ever played whiffleball with her and she grabbed the bat out of my hand to take her turn at bat and it was on. I looked into her eyes and all-business Jill had taken over. I sat on the sidelines with Makayla and we cheered her Mom on as Jill hit a home run and then as if nothing had happened she gracefully walked back over and scooped Makayla back up into her arms until her next at bat. At the same time I think about the first night that I ever met Mike. It was my first "date" with Pat (which in those days consisted of standing around a keg with a plastic cup at the Talbot house) and when I showed up I found Pat and Mike in a bit of a scuffle. Afterwards, I asked Pat what that heck that was all about? Mike had gotten upset and had reprimanded him because Pat hadn't called him in over a week. I didn't understand at that time and I laughed as I later watched them hug it out. Those two memories just exemplify Mike and Jill for me. They expected a lot of themselves as individuals and parents, their friends and family, and the world around them. They made you want to be a better person and if you needed some motivation or compassion on your journey they were there. lisl

I’m heartbroken. Jill and Mike have made such a difference in so many lives. They have made so many people happy. They have taught us all so much. I remember seeing the pride in Mike’s eyes when he showed me the exhibits he made in a Vermont State Park nature center. He took an empty room and made it into a place for all to learn, grow and appreciate his love of nature. I remember regularly exploring new trails and patches of forest in Vermont with Jill. We were trying to find a perfect place for us to plot our future houses. She daydreamed that she and her family would live right down the path from each of her friend’s houses – with paths connecting each house. And of course there were horses. Jill and Mike - both beautiful people who weren’t afraid to live life to its fullest and make their dreams come true.

It is so clear from all the pictures shared, that Mike and Jill were living a beautiful and generous life. My hearts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with Jill and Mike's friends and families.

My heart aches badly for Mike and Jill and the whole family. I pray that God would give everybody the fortitude to bear the unbearable loss..

My heart has been aching ever since I heard the horrible news. Mike and Jill were some of the nicest people I have ever met and I feel lucky to have known them. Though I didn't know them as well as all of you, I know how important they were to my sister Alex and what great friends they were to her. I pray that Jill, Mike and their beautiful children are in heaven and that all of you, my sister and the Casey/Schuessler family find peace.

I met Jill and Makaeyla this summer at toe jam at buttonwood park zoo. She was so nice and makaeyla was the sweetest little girl. I also live in marion, so i would see jill and makaeyla at the sippican cafe. She would always say hi! The last time i saw her was at the 4th of July parade in marion with makaeyla and her mom. She told me that she was due to have Bryce any day. I am so sad for there family. My thoughts and prayers are with u all!!

Im not even sure the glass of jameson next to me will help me through this, but ill give it a shot. Unfortunately I could not make the trip to belize for the wedding, but promised to make it down soon after. My wife and I spent a week and half on the islands and at gallon jug. Mike had told me he was teaching and really enjoying it, but I needed to observe first hand what he had done. Melissa and I were in awe when we saw what he had been doing and his plans for the school. Most people talk a big game and come up short on the other end, Mike and Jill were the exact opposite. They LOVED what they did, and the look in those kids faces was worth more than a thousand words could ever describe. Mike and Jill did more in their short life than most of us will ever do, if that is not something to be proud as family member of a friend, then i dont know what is. As I sit hear staring at picture of us from a key west a few days after the millenium I'm having a great deal of trouble holding back the tears. I wish it was a bad nightmare that I can wake up from, but I know thats not the case. So i'll back my bags and hop a plane for the east coast to pay my respects to four wonderful people and two very loving families. "When we were young we thought life was a game, but them somebody leaves you and your never the same, All of the places and people belong to the puzzle but one of the pieces is gone It's you, its you, Joy, its you" We lost a big piece of the puzzle, hopefully their love will see all of us through this horrible time.

I knew Jill back when we all lived in Mattapoisett as one of the beautiful and kind Schuessler girls. Jill, I so admire the way you didn’t just talk about making the world a better place, you actually went out and did it. It’s amazing to think about all that you and your family accomplished at such a young age. Linda, Amanda, and Melissa, my love and thoughts are with you and with the Casey family.

Mike i can remember you and i sitting for hours at a time listening to jerry tapes in college and you telling me exactly what jerry was feeling/thinking when he played those riffs. And one of my last memories of you at rat's wedding was how happy you were listening to jerry again in my car with monte the night before the wedding. you were smiling ear to ear. Jill what I loved about you was your sincerity and how when we delved into those philosophical conversations there was no one else in the world you were talking to, just me. You sent me a homemade birthday card with glitter all over it in the middle of July when I turned 20 after your freshman year my sophomore year at St. Mike's and said that you couldn't ever forget. My memories of you and Michael are so strong and vivid I pray I hold onto them in my mind forever. I love you both.

If some part of that music is heard in deepest dream, or on some breeze of Summer a snatch of golden theme, we'll know you live inside us with love that never parts our good old Jack O'Diamonds become the King of Hearts. I feel your silent laughter at sentiments so bold that dare to step across the line to tell what must be told, so I'll just say I love you, which I never said before and let it go at that old friend the rest you may ignore.

Jill, one of my fondest memories of you was a nasty game of flip cup in Phil's garage in Milton. It was well after college, but as the night wore on, we naturally reverted back to our animalian instincts and went right to beer games. Your team would do a little dance every time you won and sing, "Shake your grove thing, shake your grove thing,yeah yeah...........show em' how we do it baby!" You were talking so much smack and were fiercly competetive, which had us all in hysterics because is was the antithesis of your normal demeanor. I still laugh every time I think about that.

I have so many unbelievable memories with Mike and Jill. After our Junior year at St. Mike’s, Mike and I worked on a landfill (aka, The Dump) in Bennington, VT with his brother, Chris, for 6 weeks. We would work 14-16 hour days and Mike would do it with zero trouble and be ready to go by 5:30am the next morning. I cannot say the same about myself! I grew much love and respect for Mike then. One more recent memory that sums up Michael Casey for me, was in Belize when we were all there for Mike and Jill’s wedding. After taking a boat from the islands to San Pedro, Mike packed about a dozen of us into a van and led us through the jungle. We were giddy. He stops the van out of nowhere, unrolls the window and proceeded to bark at the trees on the side of the dirt road for at least 30 seconds. We roared and didn’t look back. That was Mike. He was one with the natural world and was a natural, kind spirit. For anyone who ever knew Jillian for more than 10 seconds, they knew that she was obviously the same way. She loved every living thing and everyone that was lucky enough to know her. She was the sweetest person I have ever met. They are already missed and will be forever missed in this world.

My first memory of Jill is as a cute little freshman in high school on the basketball court. My dad was her coach, and they had a very special bond. He is in Florida and unable to make it on Friday, but he is truly heartbroken, as is everyone who knew Jill. We were talking about her the other night, and two things kept coming up over and over again...the warmth in her smile and the kindness in her heart. Jill and her beautiful family taught us all a lesson about what it means to embrace life and live it to the fullest. God bless you Jill, Mike, Makayla and Bryce, heaven just became a little bit sweeter. Erin Callaghan Cronin & family

Such a terrible loss. I met Mike and Jill pretty much my first day at SMC. Mike lived across the hall from me and I remember walking into his room as he was setting up a mini-shrine of sorts to Jerry (who had just passed away a few weeks before). We ended up having a jam session in his room that day, him on his djembe, me on my bongos. We continued those jam sessions throughout our years at SMC. Mike truly felt the power and emotion of music deep into his soul. We ended up neighbors again our senior year on North Union St. Countless hours were spent in his kitchen, holding court and cranking bootlegs. One time, I remember adjusting the equalizer on the stereo because it was waaaaay too Bassy. Mike quickly reprimanded me because “he really liked to hear Phil”. Classic. Jill was the most sincere, kindest person you’ll ever meet. She really listened to you and cared what you had to say, at all times. You rarely meet anyone like her. She had such an infectious positive attitude. It was always a pleasure to just be around her. My thoughts and prayers go out to both families and all of their friends. They will never be forgotten.

I have so many silly memories with Jill, driving around Dartmouth in high school, or going to Chris'. We would sit on the corner bench and pretend we were moms and joke about the crazy things our imaginary kids would do, we would laugh so hard, we were crying. She has been a part of every phase of my life, and never would I have imagined that she would not be part of the next ones. A little piece of me is gone forever, or better yet, a little piece of Jill will always be with me.

I am distraught in writing this just finding out what happened. There was never a sweeter and kinder couple that Mike and Jill. Mike showed me the ropes around St. Mike's when I first got to college, he mentioned that he knew my brother and my brother had shown him around and he wanted to do the same. I am more than grateful that I was able to be blessed with knowing both Michael and Jill. My heart goes out to family and friends. You are already missed and will be in our hearts forever. Zach

Having trouble even thinking about it. Know it is going to be challenging to celebrate the lives of such incredible people. I'm sure their spirit will help us find the courage and being together will make us stronger as whole. It has been so helpful to just sit and stare at all the pictures and read all the stories and memories everyone has shared. (They might be the most photogenic people ever) Thank you and keep em coming! cw