Salem, CT - It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Casey Laurance Crafton due to a tragic accident on January 29, 2025. He was 40 years old. He was born on February 20, 1984, in Memphis, TN, a son of Richard and Ann (Webb) Crafton. Casey grew up in Memphis, Tennessee where he attended school at Central Baptist School. While he was there, he played soccer and basketball team sports. He attended Bob Jones University in South Carolina earning a BS in Aviation Management. It was also where he would meet the love of his life, Rachel Gadbois. The couple married on June 21, 2008, in the barn at her family’s farm in Salem, CT.  They moved into a house just down the road, where they made their home and were raising their children. 

Casey’s career path started as an A&P mechanic and he later became a Technical Service Manager for aircraft sales, with expertise in aircraft maintenance and overseeing pre-buy projects. Casey was active in his hometown where he served on the Salem recreation committee. He also coached his sons’ teams – both recreation little league baseball in Salem and soccer in Montville. Continuing with their love of sports, Casey and Rachel enjoyed playing soccer together at Wide World of Indoor Sports in Oakdale. Casey was a man who put God first in his life, who led his family by example, and was a light to all who he came in contact with. Casey and Rachel taught their children to have a strong faith in God, and they have a wonderful church family at Lakes Pond Baptist Church in Waterford where Casey and Rachel were involved in the children’s ministries together. Casey had many mechanical abilities and was able to fix anything. He worked on bicycles, dirt bikes and RC cars with his sons. He also loved to modify nerf guns to shoot far beyond their normal range and hosted nerf nights for the church teen group. Casey was adventurous and loved canoe trips with his family and enjoyed an annual winter hike in New Hampshire with friends. He enjoyed hiking, camping and riding bikes and four-wheelers with his family. He enjoyed listening to his favorite band, Sister Hazel, and finally got the opportunity to bring his family to a concert just recently.

Casey will be remembered for many things by many people. He had a wonderful sense of humor that put everyone at ease and brought laughter wherever he went. He lit up a room and made everyone he came in contact with feel seen and cared for. He loved to dress in costumes during holiday celebrations and they always brought laughter and silliness. He was a “kid at heart”, loved giving his boys and their friends a hard time, and they never knew when he might show up with a nerf gun. He jumped on the trampoline with his sons and rode on drift trikes with them and their friends. Most importantly, Casey will be remembered for his devotion and love for his family, friends and all who had the privilege to know him. He was a loyal friend who would be there for anyone at the drop of a hat. He was a loving brother and son who always helped in any way he could. He was an amazing father with dreams of building a lawn business with his boys, building a garage so he had more space to teach them how to fix things and to eventually restore his car from his younger years. He always had time to hug them, tell them he was proud of them, and he made sure he was at their games and performances. He was their biggest cheerleader and pushed them to be their best. He taught them to love God and to be faithful in every way. He was an amazing, faithful husband. His love for his wife was unwavering and he supported her in all her endeavors. Reflecting on Casey’s life, a verse that comes to mind is 2 Timothy 4:7 - “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

His loss will be felt by many, especially by his loving wife of 16 years, Rachel, his sons Greyson (12), Easton (10) and Knox (7); his parents, Richard and Ann Crafton of Connecticut, formerly of Tennessee; a brother, Dailey Crafton, his wife Cindy and children Chloe, Jude, Nico and Jamie; a sister, Fridae Hammons and children Seth, Mackenzie and Taylor; his grandmother-in-law, Judy Gadbois; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, John and Ruth Gadbois; and numerous extended family members and friends. A memorial service will be held on February 15, 2025, beginning at 11 am at Lakes Pond Baptist Church, 1144 Hartford Tpke. Waterford, CT.  Streaming service will be available through the Lakes Pond Baptist Church’s YouTube channel. The burial will be held privately in the Wesley Brown Cemetery in Salem. In lieu of flowers, donations in Casey’s memory may be made to Jack’s Corner Foundation, www.jackscorner.org/donate which raises funds to find a cure for SPG50, an ultra-rare disease his coworker’s son was diagnosed with. This foundation was near to Casey’s heart and he ran a race each year to support it. The Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home of Colchester has been entrusted with care of arrangements.  For online condolences or to share a memory or story about Casey for his family, please visit www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com  

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