James Ty Case III, a longtime Delaware horseman who overcame numerous personal difficulties, passed away at age 60 on January 13 after a courageous lifetime battle to live, with his wife Holly, at his side.
A native of Dover, Del., his lifetime passion was harness racing. He raced ponies as a boy and after graduating from high school in 1973, he began training and driving Standardbreds in his father Jim Case’s High Hope Stable. At the time he worked alongside his friend, George Teague, in the stable, whom he credits with teaching him ways to develop young horses. One of Ty’s favourite horses was High Hope Leslie, who held the Dover Downs track record for older pacing mares which stood for seven years.
In his teens, Ty developed diabetes which in his late 30s began to take its toll. He had kidney failure and went on dialysis. In 1993, he had a kidney/pancreas transplant and within three months went back to training and driving horses. In 1995, while in the hospital for a partial foot amputation, he suddenly went completely blind and never regained any sight. He next had a quadruple heart bypass in 1997 and in 2012, he had six strokes and underwent a successful intracranial indict bypass on his brain.
After meeting Holly Holden at the Delaware State Fair, they began dating, but her family moved away to Virginia. The distance became too much, and they went on to marry others. But 32 years later, the reconnected and married in 2005. They build their home, ‘Second Chance,’ and joined friends in numerous horse partnerships and were lucky to have a number of outstanding racehorses. Their most recent is the Indiana-bred champion trotter Bluebird Reverend, and Artrageous. Even though Ty could not see, he often attended races at Dover Downs ad Harrington Raceway with his wife and guide dog at his side. He visualized how races were playing out as he listened to announcers and race fractions.
After blindness, Ty became a switchboard operator at Dover Air Force Base, working for the Delaware Division of Visually Impaired. He was voted the Delaware Outstanding Employee of the Year by his co-workers. From a pool of 6,000 nationwide candidates competing for the Peter J. Salmon Award for the National Employee of the Year, he was the ultimate winner of this prestigious honour presented to him in New Orleans at the National conference.
Two months before his death, Ty still rode a van daily from Dover upstate to Newcastle, Del. where he continued to work for the Del. Division of Visually Impaired.
An inspiration to all that knew him, no matter for the disabilities and obstacles, he would not give up. Overcoming his terrible handicaps, Ty learned to use the computer for talking software, research things on the internet, prepare Excel spreadsheets and help his wife with her business. He would laugh and tell people he was “the autopsy that lived.”
Ty Case is survived by his loving wife, Holly; daughter, Leslie DiPietro (Tony); son, James T.Case IV, ‘JT’ (Kris); stepsons, Rick Carrol land Michael Carroll (Brittney); and five grandchildren. He is also survived by his mother, Janet Brown, his brother, Todd Case (Lisa), and his beloved guide dog, Max.
Ty’s last request would be for people to consider being organ donors. Two of his friends, Pamela Benton of Seaford, Del. and Lisa Berry of Wyoming, Del., had volunteered and were tested to be living organ donors for his failing kidney, but his body gave out before a transplant could take place.
To celebrate this extraordinary man’s life, a Gathering of Friends and Family will be held at Pippin Funeral Home, 119 W. Camden-Wyoming Ave, Wyoming, Del. on Thursday, Jan 19, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ty Case.
(Dover Downs)