Cory James Casagrande

In the early morning hours of October 15, 2021, Cory James Casagrande went to be with the Lord surrounded by his loved ones.

Cory was born in Sheridan, MT on May 18, 1974 to the late Robert and Danette (Hawkins) Casagrande. He grew up in Whitehall and attended WHS where he participated in football & basketball, was part of many clubs & groups, created lifelong friendships and graduated with honors in 1992. After graduating, Cory attended Wyoming Technical Institute and earned a certificate in Collision & Refinishing in the Spring of 1993.

Cory began his Automotive Repair & Restoration career in 1993 with time spent at Interstate Body Shop (Butte), Autobody Experience (Bozeman), Procraft Auto Body (Great Falls) and most recently at Capital City Collision (Helena). He excelled at his craft and could be relied upon to take care of his customers with the highest level of professionalism, experience and knowledge.

Friendly, generous, helping, devoted, loyal, compassionate, reasonable and sharing are just a few of the traits that describe Cory. He could be counted on to lend a hand to others in need, fixing a flat for a broke college student, providing a place to stay to a wayward soul or just taking someone fishing. Cory was everyone’s voice of reason and a strong shoulder to lean on. His words were as kind and calming as his actions.

Cory had many loves in his life. Spending endless weekends at the ranch, staying in touch with former Bozeman Kodiak teammates & coaches, sharing his love of the outdoors with any & all and following his sons, Mason & Boady, in all of their endeavors.

Cory met the love of his life, Heather (Lewis) Casagrande in May of 2016. They married in July, 2018 at Canyon Ferry Lake where Cory lovingly accepted his two “bonus” daughters Kayla (Matt) Yount, Hailee Armstrong and two grandchildren. Cory and Heather loved their “Brady Bunch” being all together, these were the times Cory cherished the most.

Cory was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Casagrande & Danette Hawkins. Survivors include Heather Casagrande of Helena; sons, Mason & Boady Casagrande of Helena; bonus daughters Kayla (Matt) Yount and Hailee Armstrong of Arizona; step-mother, Terrie Casagrande of Whitehall; step-father, Phil Flukas of Hamilton; brother, Robert Casagrande and his wife, Julie and nieces, Katie, Bailey and Shay, all of Missoula; sister Carrie Heaphy and her husband, Ike, and nephew Luke and niece, Addy, all of Missoula; sister Callie McIntosh and her husband, Ryan, of Bozeman.

Funeral services will be held on November 27th at St. Teresa’s Church in Whitehall. Visitation will begin at 10:00a, Mass at 11:00a and a luncheon to follow at the Parish Hall. Interment of the ashes will take place on Tuesday, November 16th at Holy Cross Cemetery in Butte.