Casey Holmgren of St. Hilaire, MN age 38 died peacefully on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at his residence with his loving family and friends at his side. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN. Casey Gale Holmgren was born July 31, 1977 in Thief River Falls, MN the son of Gary Lee and Debra (Gunstad) Holmgren. He was baptized at Calvary Lutheran Church in St. Hilaire, MN. He attended Knox Elementary School, Franklin Middle School and Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls. While in school, Casey loved to play baseball and was an awesome left-handed pitcher. When he was older, Casey enjoyed playing basketball with his friends. He had a fade-away shot that could not be blocked, all done with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, just like Michael Jordan. On October 24, 1997 Casey became the very proud Daddy to his son Tre Anthony Eggerud. Casey spent every moment that he possibly could with his son, Tre, aka "Little Man". In June of 1998 while schooling his friends in basketball, Casey was struck with the basketball which led to a grand mal seizure. This led to the discovery of a Grade II Oligodendroglioma located in his right parietal lobe of his brain. Casey even put off his first surgery to insure he would be there with Tre. In February of 1999, Casey had his first brain surgery at the Mayo Hospital in Rochester where they removed 60% of the tumor, and then started chemo and radiation. Casey was a kind, caring, stubborn, passionate, bull-headed, tell-you-like-it-was kind of guy and at the same time had a big heart. He would stand up for the underdog and help anyone in need. He had friends everywhere and had that personality that drew people to him. His radiant smile could brighten up any room. Throughout his illness, Casey never wanted people to feel sorry for him. People would look to him for inspiration; he was solid as a rock and was more worried how other people were doing rather than himself. Casey worked numerous jobs throughout the years until his health prevented him to do so. In 2012, Casey had his second surgery at the Mayo Hospital where they were able to remove 96% of the tumor, followed by a second round of radiation and more chemo. Casey was an avid bow hunter, even when his left arm didn't work he had a crossbow. He spent much of his adult life in the woods, except in the morning and when there were mosquitoes, until Thermacell's were invented. He enjoyed spending time outdoors, being part of nature as much as he could. Casey hunted many different animals including deer, rabbits, opossum, and feral hogs. He loved late night cat-fishing and had a passion for cooking, especially wild game. Casey was very active with different cancer and handicap charities. He was big in helping others in need and even donated his own bow to Handicap Hunters so that another child with cancer could experience his love of hunting. Casey was a Minnesota Vikings fan to the core. He attended two games where he was seated on the field and was able to be very close to the players and cheerleaders. He spent many game days yelling at the Vikings on the television. Casey lived life to the fullest, never complained and was an inspiration to his family and friends. Survivors include son, Tre of Thief River Falls; mother, Deb (David) Rustad of St. Hilaire; father, Gary (Jennifer) Holmgren of St. Hilaire; sister, Tami (Jeremy) Anderson of Thief River Falls; brothers, Gary (Ashley Goble) Holmgren of Kindred, ND and Cody (Serena Swenson) Holmgren of Appleton, MN; grandfather, Robert Gunstad of Thief River Falls; step-grandmother, Dorothy Olson of Thief River Falls; step-sister, Michelle (Casey) George of Bemidji, MN; step-brothers, Mark (Molly) Rustad of Middle River, MN, Cory (Allison Robinson) Grochowski of Aberdeen, MD, and Kyle Grochowski of Minneapolis, MN; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He is preceded in death by his grandmothers, DeVona Gunstad and Caroline Rose Holmgren; grandfather, Hilding Holmgren; step-grandfather, Alvin Olson; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.