From a contemporary press report:
Daphne, Alabama – Lieuteant Colonel Peter Joseph Casella Jr. died Thursday, July 6, 2000, at a local health care facility. Casella, 71, was retired from the United States Air Force.
The Daphne resident graduated from Farregutt Naval Academy in Toms River, New Jersey, and received his bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Nevada. He went on to complete his master’s degree in electronic engineering through the Air Force.
During two tours of duty in Vietnam, Casella piloted the B52 bomber plane and was a member of the Strategic Air Command. After his military service, he was the vice president of the FKW Architectural Firm in Oklahama City, Oklahoma, and from 1990 to 1994 was the director of marketing for Avondale Ship Builders.
Survivors include his wife, JoAnn C. Casella of Daphne; three sons, Major Mathew Casella of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Kristian Casella of Wheaton, Illinois, and Michael Dellcontrada of Slidell, Louisiana; three daughters, Maggie P. Edmondson of Tempe, Arizona, Kimberly McCutcheon of Covington, Louisiana, and Lisa Terry of Mobile; a brother, Donald Casella of San Francisco; a sister, Victoria Iori of Reno, Nevada; 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A memorial graveside service will be held at a later date in the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The family suggests memorials be made to the Child Crisis Center East Valley Inc., 604 West Ninth St., P.O. Box 4114, Mesa, AZ 85211.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard