As most of our family and friends already know, our property on Mountain Island Lake was owned by my parents. Our children have enjoyed the lake for most of their lives. Kasie said many times that Philip was very lucky to be able to grown up experiencing the lake and having fun at our home.

Several stories come to mind about Kasie and her lake experiences. The day before she started kindergarten our family spent Labor Day on the lake. Her Olympic event that day was standing on the floating dock doing back flips into the lake. I sat and watched and told her not to do any more because I was afraid she would hit her head. Well, on the “last time” she back flipped into the lake and hit her head on the side of the dock. We all rushed to the water and breathed a sigh of relief when she came up crying. We spent the remainder of the day at the hospital ER getting her head stitched up. The ER doctor put a pressure bandage around her head and chin making her look like she was wearing a hat made out of bandages. Obviously, Kasie did not want to wear the bandage to school but the doctor said she needed to wear it for at least 48 hours. We took her to school the next day and her teacher introduced Kasie to the class and tactfully explained what had happened. From that day on everyone at Oakdale School knew Kasie Ford. She survived the stitches and her first day of school in her strange hat.

Kasie brought many friends to our home and we enjoyed cooking burgers, swimming, boating, skiing, fishing, lying in the hammock and even running through the sprinklers in the yard. She loved inviting friends out and having parties at our home. On Kasie’s 30th birthday, Phil hosted a city-wide scavenger hunt, lots of pizza and drink and “dessert extravaganza” at our home. She and her buddies had a great time as they rode around the city in a stretch limo looking for items on their list. I won’t try to list all the parties she hosted at our house but she planned them perfectly and created evenings to remember.

Our lake had a problem with hydrilla, grass that grows on the lake bottom and takes air from the water thus harming the fish. Duke Power purchased grass eating carp and let them go into the lake. The plan worked. Well, these carp eventually needed other food so guess who came to the rescue. Kasie decided to create her own Broadway on the Beach and feed the fish until they became pets. Being as determined as she was, it worked!! She would feed them dog food and ENCOURAGE Bob and I to do the same. She wanted all her friends to come out and help her feed “Kasie’s Carp” and watch the feeding frenzy they provided. She would bristle up when an avid fisherman would venture into our cove and attempt to catch “Kasie’s Carp”. She always managed to create some loud diversion that would shoo the fishermen off and protect her fish.

We spent many hours with Kasie and Philip at the lake. She loved to take Philip for tractor rides. One day she was riding him through a field of wildflowers and called out to a neighbor “Thank Henry for not cutting the grass and leaving the flowers. It is beautiful”. Kasie looked at the world through “beautiful eyes” – only seeing the best in everything and everybody. I will never look at a field of wildflowers again and not be reminded of her and Philip riding a tractor and taking time to enjoy the simple beauty of an uncut field. I love and miss you Kasie.