Tom and Lenore Cassady

Thomas and Lenore Cassady both grew up in South Bend. They married while Tom was serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, stayed in the city that raised them, and shared 66 years of marriage until Tom’s death in 2017. While they put their love of family first, they were generous, civic-minded, and community-oriented.

When they passed away — Tom in 2017 and Lenore in 2026 — it might have seemed like the end of two long legacies of lives well lived, but the thing about legacies is that they tend to keep going.

Tom built a career in insurance and was president of Cassady Neeser & Brasseur for more than 30 years. More than that, he was engaged in his community, chairing several boards including the YMCA, United Way, and Holy Cross Village Foundation. Lenore served actively in the Junior League of South Bend.

Their involvement with the Community Foundation goes back to the very beginning. Tom was a founding board member and served as the second board chair. It’s impossible to quantify the value of that kind of support.

What is possible to quantify is the value of the Cassadys’ generosity. The gifts they made will be invested forever, and each year the earnings from The Cassady Family Fund will continue to support worthy nonprofits across St. Joseph County. Tom and Lenore’s contributions to our community will continue – evidence of two lives very well lived.