Rodney "Rod" J. Caswell

Rodney “Cass” James Caswell, 61, of Sandpoint Idaho passed away August 28, 2013. He was born February 24, 1952 in Brisbane QLD Australia to Samuel “Mick” and Christina “Chris” Caswell. He spent his childhood in the northern suburbs of Brisbane with his four brothers and sisters, Dell, Coral, Peter and Patricia. Most of their holidays were with cousins in the country or at the beach. He attended Wilston State School, then St Paul’s and Kelvin Grove State High secondary schools. He was in the local sea scouts, played football at school and worked closely with his Dad, fixing, making and building all kinds of clever things on the weekends. He often spent holidays with his older brothers, sisters and cousins outside Brisbane and in the country. As a teenager he played rugby, surfed, rode motor bikes, travelled. His nephews and nieces remember a kind, fun Uncle who sometimes looked after them when he was still young himself. He was a hard worker, always earned his keep, worked in his Dad’s factory to earn a dollar. Rod had a job wherever he was, often in construction. Like his father and his older brother Peter, he was very clever with his hands and just adored being outdoors. He was adventurous and decided to move to the United States when he was only 18 years old. He traveled a lot; spending time with his cousin, Christine and her husband John. After travelling all over, from LA to New Orleans and beyond, he ended up in Sandpoint Idaho where he met Mickie Gleason. They were married November 29, 1980. Rod fell in love with North Idaho and decided to call it home. He loved the cool weather, always saying that Australia was just too hot! Rod and Mickie had two children, Justin and Amanda. He moved with his family to Wasilla, AK where Rod worked from 1985-1987. Over the years, Rod took Mickie, Justin and Amanda to visit his family in Australia and in return several Aussie relatives came all the way to Sandpoint to visit him. He worked in construction for Woods Crushing and Hauling and Lippert Heavy Equipment. He retired in Sandpoint where he prided himself in having a great looking lawn, remodeling his house and taking care of Chloe, a French bulldog for his daughter. He was a loyal friend and caring father who will be dearly missed. He is survived by his daughter Amanda (Josh Burt) Caswell-Burt, and his three sisters Dell Grindrod, Coral (Michael) Barfoot, and Patricia Caswell. He has numerous cousins, nieces and nephews all over Australia and elsewhere around the world. He was preceded in death by his son Justin Ryan Caswell, his brother Peter (Flo) Caswell, and his parents Samuel “Mick” and Christina “Chris” Caswell. Friends and family are invited to celebrate the life of Rodney Caswell on Saturday September 7, 2013, 2pm at 11015 Baldy Mountain Road Sandpoint, Idaho. For more information contact (208) 290-5116 or (208) 290-4260.