Dusty was welcomed into this world on Sept 7th, 1995, by his loving parents Kevin & Colleen Casey. Being the 2nd oldest of four boys, there was always mischief going on & and you could be sure to find Dusty right in the middle of it. Nothing changed as Dusty, Alex, Joey & Ryan got older, the “Brothers” never lacked any fun and adventures and their strong bond will live on forever.
Dusty grew up in Prior Lake, attending St Michael’s Catholic School from Little Angels Preschool through 8th grade – making countless friends and memories throughout his time there. He was involved in student council, chess club, baseball and basketball where he was known for taking charge like no other but most importantly as the player that was always encouraging his teammates. Dusty then went on to attend Prior Lake High School where he participated in student council; intramural basketball and became a master potter – creating many amazing pieces of pottery. He excelled in football – making it to the state tournament twice. As a sophomore, he decided to try a new sport & took up Lacrosse, playing for the next three years. His senior year he won the Daggit Award – this award is selected by the coaches for the player who exemplifies Laker Pride; leads by example in all areas in life and who puts team first and their individual needs second. So many attributes of the Daggit Award Dusty carried throughout the remainder of his life. Upon graduating from PLHS, Dusty ventured off to Drake University in Des Moines and became a Bull Dog. He thrived at Drake and loved every minute of it. He joined Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity during his freshman year where he met many of his lifelong friends. He served as president of SigEp his junior year and was involved in many philanthropy events with his SigEp brothers over the four years of college.
Upon graduation from Drake, he was hired at Farmers Mutual Hail (FMH) as a Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst I and within 3 years of working at FMH was promoted to BI Analyst II. Through their exemplary work, FMH gave Dusty and his best friend and coworker, Aaron, the opportunity to earn their master’s degree together from Bellevue University class of 2023. January of 2023 Dusty was promoted again to BI Data Operations Supervisor and January 2024 he moved into his current role of BI Data Operations Manager. Dusty loved his job at FMH and was well-positioned for a bright future and further advancement at FMH due to the impact he made in the organization and his accomplishments.
Dusty was always up for adventure – as a sophomore in college, he got on a plane for the first time in his life and ventured off to Sydney, Australia to study abroad for spring semester without knowing anyone. His time in Australia and New Zealand started his love of travel and over the next 10 years he made good use of his Delta miles to take many adventures with friends and family. One trip that we will always cherish was a trip to Orlando in December 2024 where our entire family rented a house and shared so many fun memories that we will always hold in our hearts.
Dusty was a man that had a vast array of interests and talents. He and his friend Hunter started Iowa Food Scene – a social media restaurant review platform where they would go to different Iowa restaurants & film their reviews. Dusty was in the process of a spin off called Dishing with Dusty where he was doing a weekly cooking show from his kitchen. He filmed his first two episodes in the past few weeks, and we know his show would have been a big hit.
Saturday mornings you could find Dusty tuned into F1 Racing or his Everton F.C. soccer team compete in the Premier League. Dusty was a huge Jeopardy fan and when he came back to MN, many late nights were spent with the family watching episodes together - we were always impressed by how many answers he knew. Of course, like his brothers, he was a huge sports fan – especially all MN teams – Wild, Gophers, Vikings, Timberwolves & Twins. He also supported the Iowa Wild and loved attending Drake basketball with college friends – he took in his last game in December. Dusty wasn’t only into indoor sports, he also took an interest in hunting. Fall trips home to Minnesota brought some goose hunting adventures alongside big brother Alex, “sister” Angela, brother Ryan and friends out on the Casey farm. Fall also meant deer hunting with friends at his buddy Joe’s family’s hunting land in SE Iowa. In December, Dusty shot his first buck and made sure to send the family a picture right away – the giant smile on his face showed how excited and proud he was of that accomplishment.
Philanthropy was important to Dusty, and he became involved in many different fundraising efforts throughout his time in Des Moines. His giving started during his college years and continued during his time at Farmers Mutual Hail. Dusty participated in packaging meals for those in need; donated blood at FMH blood drives; delivered Thanksgiving meals to those who couldn’t afford it; was a member of the Breakthrough T1D Committee at FMH to raise money for Type 1 Diabetes in support of his colleagues son suffering from T1D and most recently this summer, he shaved his head to raise money for St. Baldrick’s which supports kid’s cancer research.
Spending time with family was very important to Dusty – he put many miles on to travel back to MN for holidays, golf outings, a good euchre tournament and all sorts of parties & events. In 2021, Dusty was promoted to Uncle, and he loved coming home & spending time with his two adorable nieces. He was extremely proud when he became Godfather to his niece Evaleigh and the two of them had a special relationship. At family weddings you could always count on Dusty having a great time & enjoying the dance floor. Just last summer, he had the honor of presiding over the wedding of his cousin Jake & wife Hailee. Spending time with his cousins held a special place in Dusty’s heart throughout his life, making countless memories from a young age all the way into adulthood.
Included in his love for sports was his deep passion for playing golf. Dusty had an annual golf trip with his friends in which they would travel to new and exciting places to take some of the best courses around the country. Outside of his annual trip, he was a staple at the extended family golf tournaments that took place several times a year. When he wanted a little extra pressure, he regularly made use of his built-in foursome with his three brothers, where they would compete for bragging rights and bring out the worst in each other in the spirit of “good fun”.
Nearly four years ago Dusty made the decision to get a dog & he adopted Zeus. The two of them enjoyed daily walks; evenings cooking in the kitchen; sharing the couch watching TV or their many trips to MN. The two of them were just the perfect fit & Zeus is already missing his dad.
Dusty, the world dimmed when you left us and your kind and generous heart will leave a void in our lives. He will be loved and forever missed by his parents, Kevin & Colleen Casey; brothers, Alex and sister-in-law Angela (Dusty considered Angela his sister), Joseph and Ryan; niece and Goddaughter, Evaleigh and niece Emilia; beloved dog Zeus; Godfather, Robert (Patty) Casey; Godmother, Denise (Mike Doerrer) Williamson, aunts & uncles, Bill (Melissa) Casey, Maureen (Ron) Greenberg, Pat Casey, Judy (Tom) Borchardt, Dave (Shari) Giles, Mary (Jeff) Hoglin, Lori Hynes, Kevin (Lu Ann) Giles, Dan (Kristin) Giles, Chris (Katie) Giles; countless special cousins and friends and his Farmers Mutual Hail family.
Dusty is greeted into heaven by grandparents, William and Helen Mae Casey and Ed and Loretta Giles; uncles, Dave Williamson, Dwayne Giles, and Rick Hynes.
.jpeg)
