Norwalk man Casey Onaitis leaves a legacy of volunteerism
NORWALK — Casey Onaitis was an athlete, amusician, a tradesman and a business owner.
Most notably, he ran Casey’s Sheet Metal, located at 4 Merwin St., for nearly 30 years before selling to the developers of Waypointe Apartments.
But Onaitis, who died Sept. 10 at 64, will be remembered primarily as a kind-hearted man who dedicated many of his final years as advocate for those who, like him, suffered from multiple sclerosis, and as a volunteer in his community.
“What he did was he became an MS activist. He was proud to be referred to as an MS ambassador,” his sister, Nancy Esposito said. “But his real passion was the cemetery.”
As the disease progressed in recent years, forcing his retirement from his sheet metal business, Onaitis began volunteering about seven years ago at Norwalk’s Union Cemetery, where he helped to maintain the property and restore gravesites covered by dirt and stones, just as his dad, Clayton, had done in the past.
“He loved to do the tree work and also the standing of the stones. He felt like he was really paying tribute to these deceased people,” Esposito said.
Both Onaitis and his sister served on the cemetery’s board. He would also frequently pick up litter along the road across from his house to keep busy.
“He was a really hard-core volunteer and he worked hard at it. With all his limitations, there he was being so productive,” Esposito said.
Charlie Williams, of the Norwalk Union Cemetery Association, worked with Onaitis to maintain the graveyard. Williams said Onaitis reset 50 to 60 stones, many of which had been buried for 50 years, by himself.
“He was instrumental. He was always there, he’d sit in his chair and do a little work, then rest. It was remarkable,” Williams said. “The work that he did in there, you couldn’t afford to pay someone to do it.”
With Onaitis gone, Williams said the cemetery is looking for additional help to care for the cemetery.
“We’re always looking for volunteers, but unfortunately younger people aren’t interested,” Williams said.
Upon his diagnosis with MS in 1989, Onaitis was at first hesitant to associate himself with the disease, Esposito said. But that changed as it advanced.
“Early on in his diagnosis he wasn’t interested in affiliating himself with the community because it was a downer for him,” Esposito said. “But he reached out to the community, and of course the world changed, the internet changed, MS discussion groups evolved. It made it easier to communicate with other people and have a lot of contacts in MS world.”
Onaitis frequently volunteered at MS Society events and made contacts within the community. But he never let the disease control his life.
“He used a lot of interesting techniques to work around his disabilities. He moved in certain ways, did whatever he could to manage with his limitations,” Esposito said. “It was only recently, within two weeks, when he said to me, ‘I finally feel the MS is taking its toll.’”
“He knew that he was not well. But he never complained, he wasn’t gonna let it beat him. No matter what needed to be done, he’d find a way to do it,” Williams said.
Now, Williams will continue on his mission to keep up the cemetery without his partner of more than five years.
“He was just an incredible guy. I’m going to miss him because that’s our special place,” Williams said. “I’ll be missing him every day I go into the cemetery.”