‘Capt. Jennifer Casey, we salute you’: Family says fallen Snowbird won’t be forgotten

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) — Capt. Jennifer Casey is being remembered by loved ones as a storyteller and a proud Nova Scotian.

Casey was a member of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team who died in a crash in a residential area of Kamloops on Sunday.

“As she makes her way back to Nova Scotia to her final resting place, we ask those who knew and loved Jenn to cherish the memories that you have of her and continue to bask in the light that she shone on everyone’s life. She is gone but will never be forgotten,” says a statement from Casey’s family on Wednesday.

The plane she was in went down during a scheduled fly-over as part of the force’s Operation Inspiration tour. The pilot, Capt. Richard MacDougall, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The tour started in Nova Scotia earlier this month and featured the team’s signature nine-jet formation. It followed a similar initiative south of the border, where the U.S. military’s own flight demonstration teams have been flying in honour of front-line workers and first responders.

"As she makes her way back to Nova Scotia to her final resting place, we ask those that knew and loved Jenn to cherish the memories that you have of her and continue to bask in the light that she shone on everyone’s life. She is gone but will never be forgotten." https://t.co/gLT6J2gjBM

— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) May 20, 2020

The focus of the tour was to make “Canadians happy in a time of uncertainty and there was no better person in this world to carry out that mission than Jenn,” says her family.

“Her beautiful smile and positively infectious personality could brighten anyone’s day and she proudly served the mission as she flew across our great nation with a team that she adored, the Snowbirds.”

Casey’s family also says she was — besides a granddaughter, daughter, sister, and friend — a storyteller, a role that she embraced with passion and skill.

“She was also a proud Nova Scotian who served as an advocate and ambassador for her province wherever she went. Her journey took her many places, but her heart was always at home in Halifax.”

Casey studied journalism at the University of Kings College in Halifax and started her career with Rogers at NEWS 95.7, where she gave a voice to local causes and community groups that often didn’t have one, says her family.

“Working with News 95.7 is where she built her enormous network of friends who have spent the last several days sharing kind words about her professionalism and beautiful character. Now they are telling her story.”

Casey, always one for adventure, joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2014 as a public affairs officer.

While serving her country, she traveled around the world.

“Using her experience and media connections, Jenn was great at telling the stories of the brave men and women that serve Canada at home and abroad. She was committed always to honing her skills and advancing her education in the field by completing a master of interdisciplinary studies from Royal Roads University in B.C.”

The military was like a second family to Casey, her family adds.

“First and foremost, we are sharing this loss with the public affairs branch, a group of communications professionals that introduced Jenn to her military family. We also share this loss with everyone in the Royal Canadian Air Force, a group of loving individuals that will always remember Jenn for the contributions that she made to the team.”

The family also shares the loss of Casey with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, a team that she proudly served in a job she truly loved.

“Our hearts are with all of you at this time as we mourn the loss of Jenn and remember all of the memories we shared with her,” the family says.

“Capt. Jennifer Casey, we salute you.”