Loved family, teaching and golf
Oct. 29, 1914 - Jan. 28, 2014
Bruno Casile always made sure of two things: his family and friends were cared for and he made time for a round of golf. He died Tuesday at age 99. Mr. Casile is remembered as a loyal husband, father and educator. He dedicated his life to causes related to education, veterans and the elderly.
He was born Oct. 29, 1914, to Peter and Angeline Casile. He married Pauline DiGregory in 1946. They were set up by their well-intentioned Italian mothers, who decided they should meet. The couple had three sons, William, Gregory and David. Pauline died in 1993.
He married Cathy Arenz in 1995 after the two met at an AARP meeting. She called him “soft-spoken and gentle.”
Mr. Casile served in World War II as an Army staff sergeant. He was chief clerk of surgical services at the 194th General Hospital.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock College in 1938. He earned a master’s degree in 1948 and a doctorate in education in 1953 from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Casile began his teaching career in 1946 in the West Deer School District, where he was a biology teacher, counselor and assistant superintendent.
William Casile said his father pursued a career in education after seeing the impact of a series of mentors in his own life.
“He just wanted to give back,” his son said.
Mr. Casile joined Duquesne University in 1962, where he served for 20 years as a professor and director of counselor education. While at Duquesne, Mr. Casile was the coach of the school’s golf team.
Golf, his son joked, was a passion, or an obsession. It was also a metaphor for how his father lived his life. “He played not to score for himself but to be with friends and to teach the game he loved to other people,” William Casile said.
He worked as a consultant for drug abuse programs for the Veterans Administration from 1969 to 1979. After he retired, Mr. Casile volunteered as state director for AARP and as a therapist at a local nursing home.
“His pattern of life was to be an instrument of service to others,” his son said.
Mr. Casile enjoyed spending time with family, especially grandchildren, playing golf, reading and traveling.
In addition to his wife and three sons — William of Mt. Lebanon and Gregory and David, both of O’Hara — he is survived by stepchildren Thomas Arenz of Greenwich, Conn., Michael Arenz of Scottsdale, Ariz., Amy Storer of Avon Lake, Ohio, and Ellen Perkins of Saratoga, Calif.; six grandchildren; 13 step-grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Mass will be celebrated today at 12:30 p.m. in St. Scholastica Church, 309 Brilliant Ave., Aspinwall.
Lauren Lindstrom: llindstrom@post-gazette.com or 412263-1964.