ST. CLOUD -- Casey Myers filled a variety of roles in the lives of others — wife, mother, daughter, friend, coworker.

But, when asked to describe her, those who knew her say a version of the same thing; she spread joy to everyone around her.

In December of 2018, 30-year-old Myers, a Holdingford resident, was involved in a car crash. At the time, the Centracare occupational therapist was five months pregnant with her second son, Simon.

Neither Casey nor Simon survived.

On Monday night, the two were forever etched into the Centracare Health Plaza landscape with the dedication of a granite bench, placed along a walking trail, bearing their names.

Cassie Sandstrom, an occupational therapist and best friend of Casey's, says the idea for a bench along the trail was carefully chosen.

Casey Myers dedication event attendees walk trail at Centracare Health Plaza. A bench dedicated to Casey Myers and her son, Simon, was uveiled on July 29, 2019 at Centracare Health Plaza. Photo by Abby Faulkner
Casey Myers dedication event attendees walk trail at Centracare Health Plaza. A bench dedicated to Casey Myers and her son, Simon, was uveiled on July 29, 2019 at Centracare Health Plaza. (Photo by Abby Faulkner, Townsquare Media)
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Casey, along with Sandstrom and pediatric physical therapist Ashley Fogarty, spent countless work breaks strolling and chatting during their two years of close friendship.

We would come in early or walk over our lunch breaks, Sandstrom said. "It gave us the time to get to know each other outside of our work walls.

Sandstrom said, on these walks, Casey effusively discussed the things she was passionate about - mostly her husband Matt, her son Tyson, and how much she loved being a mom.

Casey's memorial bench includes the quote, "Find Joy in the Journey." Sandstrom says it's the same quote Casey printed onto an art project she once made at a Centracare work party.

It truly is the meaning of Casey. She found joy in her journey of life, and she passed that joy onto everyone she encountered.

Fogarty says, above all, they wanted their memorial for Casey and Simon to stand out.

 

We wanted something unique like her. Not just your typical memorial. We wanted people to look at it and say, that's Casey. That's our memory of her.

Fogarty hopes the bench will bring comfort to Casey's loved ones by providing them with a place to reflect on their memories of her.

We want to sit down and remember the way she treated her patients, her family, her friends ... so we can try to live like her.

A bench dedicated to Casey Myers and her son, Simon, was unveiled on July 29, 2019 at Centracare Health Plaza. Photo by Abby Faulkner
A bench dedicated to Casey Myers and her son, Simon, was unveiled on July 29, 2019 at Centracare Health Plaza. (Photo by Abby Faulkner, Townsquare Media)
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Following the dedication of the bench, the dozens of attendees walked a mile of the trail, together, to remember Casey and the joy she spread to each one of them.

The bench was provided by the Casey Myers Memorial fund, which will also support buying therapeutic equipment for Centracare's Pediatric and Adult Rehabilitation Department.

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