Obituary of John Walter Cason

John Walter Cason passed away peacefully on November 3, 2014 at Carolina Meadows, where he lived with his wife Mary Smithies Cason. We mourn his passing as we also celebrate a life well lived and all that he has given to us. Born in Beaumont, Texas to Dick Kendall Cason Jr and Maurine Mills Cason, Walter grew up in East Texas, graduated from Rice Institute, obtained his Masters of Divinity from Southern Methodist University Dallas. He was ordained in the Methodist Church. Walter and his first wife Maidel Kittrell of Houston were Methodist Missionaries helping to reestablish Cuttington College near Gbanga, Liberia. He earned his PhD from Union Theological Seminary while serving as a missionary and nourished his life-long passion for education and exploring new fields of study. In the late 1950s, he and a colleague drove from Liberia to South Africa visiting church projects throughout a continent that was breaking loose from colonial control. He helped to construct parts of the Cuttington campus and also played a key role in helping to restore and strengthen ties between the United Methodist Church in the United States and in Liberia. After more than a decade in Liberia, Walter joined the staff of the Theological Education Fund of the World Council of Churches, working out of New York City and then London, England to support theological education in Africa. His work led him to travel throughout the African continent supporting seminaries and churches working for social justice. He returned to the United States to join the faculty of the Evangelical Theological Seminary, that later became a part of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He taught Church History and was an avid reader and explorer of the new politics of liberation theology and the transformative role of church teachings. He led a group class to Peru where they focused on liberation theology. With his second wife, Mary Smithies Cason of Bradford, England, he spent a sabbatical year in Zimbabwe on a research project. He later returned to teach for a semester at the University of Zimbabwe. Walter loved knowledge and exploring new subjects. He learned programming and acquired one of the first new portable computers in the 1980s. He helped Garrett Theological Seminary develop new computer systems and later used his skills to assist the Church of Reconciliation here in Chapel Hill, where he and Mary have been worshipping since the late 1990s. For many years he served on the church's Finance Committee, and also as chair of the church's Social Justice Committee. His passion for critical inquiry and education was apparent in his library that included an extensive collection of books and articles on issues ranging from church history to the Middle East. Walter and Mary retired to Chapel Hill in 1994 and immediately entered a new life of volunteer service working with the Orange County Rape Crisis Center where he served for a time as Treasurer on the Board of Directors. He also volunteered at Eyes, Ears, Nose and Paws. He is remembered particularly for his smile and quiet willingness to do almost any task - from accounting at his church to taking care of a neighbor's grandchild. He is survived by his wife, Mary Smithies Cason, and his four children: Jim (Lora) Cason of Washington, DC, John (Mary Sue) Cason of Schaumburg, Illinois, Alice (George) Sharrett of Olympia, Washington and Ann (Mark) Cason-Snow of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also has 7 grandchildren: Emily (Luke EM3), Grace, Claire, Ella, Milo, Henry, and Lilian . A memorial service and celebration of Walter's life will be held at the Church of Reconciliation on Saturday, December 6 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to either: Eyes, Ears, Nose and Paws (PO Box 3443, Chapel Hill, NC 27515) or the Orange County Rape Crisis Center (P. O. Box 4722, Chapel Hill, NC 27515). Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill is honored to serve the Cason family.