Cassie Beal Obituary (1979 - 2021) - Bloomington, Illinois

Cassie Beal, 42 of Bloomington, passed away at 3:15 pm, Saturday August 7, 2021 at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. Her memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 14 at Northside Church of Christ, Bloomington with Larry Sharp and Gary Gawlik officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 p.m., Friday, August 13 at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Cassie was born February 28, 1979 in Bloomington, the daughter of William G. and Janet Augsburger Spera. She married Josh Beal on May 10, 2003 in Normal. He survives. She is also survived by two children, Parker (12) and Taylor (10), both at home; her mother, Janet Spera of Normal; two siblings, Kristin (Marty) Theunnissen and Cory (Muna) Spera, both of Bloomington; her parents-in-law, Rich and Jane Beal of Bloomington; a sister-in-law, Heather (Jared) Wagner of Normal; and six nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father. Cassie graduated from Normal Community High School in 1997 and received her teaching degree from Illinois State University in 2001. Early in her career she worked as a teacher in the East Moline area at Hillcrest and Ridgewood Elementary schools. She left teaching to pursue her greatest passion in life...raising Parker and Taylor; first in the Quad Cities, then Cedar Falls, Iowa, and ultimately in Bloomington. Cassie lived a life of caring and compassion, always putting others first. She poured that approach into her teaching career, impacting so many in such a short time. Her focus was ensuring that every student felt included and valued. Coupled with a love of reading inspired by her father, her greatest joy of the school day was engaging with her class in afternoon read-alouds. She transferred that love to her parenting of Parker and Taylor, where weekly trips to the library and afterschool reading at Cup of Joe in Cedar Falls were the norm. Cassie intentionally selected books that taught her children empathy and kindness. Even as she fought cancer at the end of her life, she continued to place the needs of others before her own. Her gift to her family and the world will be her lasting example of loving others no matter the circumstances.