Cornielius DeMink

Cornielius "Casey" DeMink, age 93, passed away Wednesday, August 27, 2014 with his family by his side at Park Village Pines in Kalamazoo. Casey had been a Kalamazoo area resident all of his life and was a member of Trinity Reformed Church where he did a lot of volunteer work whether it be snow plowing, overseeing church construction or serving as a member of consistory. He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters and a brother. On June 24, 1941, he was united in marriage with Janet Price who preceded him in death on September 10, 2002. Surviving are: four children, Michael (Della) DeMink of Hastings, Sharon "DeMink" Fisher, Ben (Lynette) DeMink, all of Plainwell, and Debra (Richard Cooper) DeMink of Kalamazoo; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his extended family, Souvanh (Pheng) Ackhavong of Kalamazoo, Vassana (Mac) Griffiths of Lawton, Kayla (David) Grant of Commerce Township; a sister, Gertrude Pritchard of Kalamazoo; and several nieces and nephews.Casey served in the United States Army from April 13, 1945 until his honorable discharge on November 14, 1946. He served as a cook and mess sergeant with the 808th Combat Engineer Battalion in a mess hall that served over 250 personnel each meal. Using a daily menu as a guide he seasoned and cooked all foods. Casey served 11.5 months overseas in Asiatic-Pacific Theater. He received the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon, the Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal/Japan. Casey was also a life member of VFW Post 1527. After serving his country, Casey started his own construction business and built several homes from 1947-1967. He then worked for Bay City Crane, Lake Street Lumber and his last job was with Weather Tite Building Products. Casey also started building Kingwood Court Apartments in 1971 and, together with his wife, managed and maintained the 26 units (plus the home he built) with caring and love for the tenants until the building was sold in 2008. Casey also assisted in the construction of the mausoleum at Mount Ever-Rest Memorial Park, South.A memorial service will be held 2:00 Saturday afternoon, September 6, 2014 at Trinity Reformed Church, 326 W. Cork Street with the Rev. Jody Habinck, officiating. Casey's family will receive guests one hour prior to the service at church. A graveside committal service is scheduled for 11:00 Monday morning, September 8, 2014 in Mount Ever-Rest Memorial Park, South. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Trinity Reformed Church; Jake Beilby (Epilepsy and Microcephaly health concerns); Simon Cooper (Leukemia and funds to assist with out of pocket expenses for a bone marrow transplant); or to Park Village Pines. Arrangements were made by Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street. Please visit Casey's personalized website at www.langelands.com 269-343-1508.