89 Years of Living in West Roxbury: WWII Vet Jack Casey Takes a Look Back
By Jonathan Pappas
At 95, Jack Casey is sharp as a tack.
“I eat a lot of grapefruit and a lot of chocolate candy. Not at the same time,” says the lifelong West Roxbury native and World War II veteran.
Mr. Casey was born on January 19, 1925 and grew up on Landseer Street. He attended the Randall G. Morris Elementary School on Wren Street.
In the 20s and 30s, he attended mass at the old St. Theresa’s Church, a small wood-framed building near the corner of Centre and Spring Streets where the Shell gas station and Dunkin Donuts are located. He and his friends would go to boxing matches held in the church basement.
(See photos of the old St. Theresa’s Church here on Pages 49-50 in noted historian and author Anthony Mitchell Sammarco’s West Roxbury.)
Back then, Billings Field was the epicenter of activity, sports and entertainment.
Check out this brief memoir from “West Roxbury girl” Gertrude Kenney Blais whose grandfather Charles J. Jacobs built the school as well as many of the houses along Oriole and Wren Streets. Nearby Gertrude Road is named after her.
“They’ve made improvements over the years and added a playground, but the bleachers are still the same bleachers,” he laughs.
“We used to have carnivals there too. I remember there was a daredevil who climbed to a very tall pole similar to today’s cell phone tower and jumped into a small pool. And every winter, they would flood the field so the kids could play hockey. Billings Field was where you went to have fun. Then we would head over to the local variety store where the Corrib Pub is and get a Coca Cola.”
During his early teenage years, Mr. Casey played a right-handed first baseman for the West Roxbury Murphy Club coached by Westie native Vinny Murphy.
He worked as a grocery clerk for First National Stores, a grocery store chain where Ashmont Cleaners and Anna’s Donuts now stand.
“I’d be on the swinging ladder getting groceries on the shelves for people. It was a small store, but it’s where everyone did their food shopping back then.”
He attended Boston Latin High School and was inducted into the BLS Athletic Hall of Fame after playing four sports for the Wolfpack. He would commute every day by Streetcar. You could get from the Charles River Stop (Joe’s Café) to downtown Huntington Avenue in 30 minutes, he says.
See this short video of the West Roxbury, Roslindale and Dedham street car.
After graduating in 1943, Mr. Casey enlisted in the army, and spent the next three years serving as staff sergeant in Hawaii and Japan during World War II.
When he returned to West Roxbury after the war, he attended Boston College and met his soon-to-be wife and Brookline native Rita who was his cousin’s roommate at Newton Wellesley School of Nursing.
“My cousin set us up on a blind date in 1946. I took her to the Cleveland Circle movie theater, and we saw The Red Shoes.”
They married in 1950, and moved to Portland, Maine for a brief period where Mr. Casey worked at Sears.
It wasn’t long before West Roxbury was calling him back home. In 1958, the couple moved to his current home of 62 years on Park Terrace where he and Rita raised their seven children. By then, the streetcar had been removed from Centre Street and the VFW Parkway had recently finished construction. He worked as a salesman for Rubbermaid until retirement in 1988.
A photo of Jack Casey and his beloved late wife, Rita.
Life in West Roxbury was good for the Casey family. Mr. Casey coached his sons on the Parkway Little League White Sox team. Mrs. Casey ran a nursing home on Wren Street and did a lot of business with West Roxbury legend Steve Slyne. They would do all their clothes shopping at Decelle’s, eat at Centre Lunch where last call was 1am (Squealing Pig’s current location) and get their ice cream at Friendly’s and Brigham’s. On Friday nights, they would often enjoy dinner at The Corrib Pub and Tony’s Place.
These days, “Booka,” as he’s lovingly referred to by his family, spends a lot of time with his 23 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren (soon to be 13 after his granddaughter Kathleen and her husband Rob Kane welcome twins this September).
For all who want to age well and continue living healthy lives, Mr. Casey has these tips to share:
When you retire, volunteer for something. Giving back is the greatest thing in the world. “I worked as a volunteer for West Roxbury Main Streets several years ago. I also volunteered at the Ohrenberger School, and was playing with kids from 3-5 years old. It was a lot of fun.”
Keep busy. Be social. Join community groups. “Every Spring and Fall, I attend the Lifelong Learning program at Regis (LLARC) for 10 weeks. We are all adult students, and being a part of this group gives me a chance to learn and to meet new people.”
Stay active. “When I’m not reading detective books, I walk up and down my 13-step stairs every day. I also go for one-hour long car rides with my daughter.”
After 89 years of living in West Roxbury, Mr. Casey perhaps summed it up best about being a Westie native.
“I love it here. It has always been a great place to live, grow up and raise a family. Everybody likes everybody. Although Centre Street is a lot busier now than it was when I was a kid. We really need Decelle’s and Friendly’s back.”
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