Carl W. Easterday Sr.

Carl William Easterday Sr., 74, of Bucyrus, died Saturday, March 27, 2021 at his home.



He was born December 10, 1946 in Kenton, Ohio to the late Dallis P. and Audrey C. (Bloom) Easterday. His family moved to Bucyrus when he was nine years old, and Carl graduated from Bucyrus High School in 1965. He married Stella F. King on June 8, 1968 and she survives.



Carl’s life ambition was to own, train and race horses. He was fortunate to work with some successful individuals and owned a few horses over the years, making for a great hobby. On March 1, 1970, he became a fulltime fire fighter with the Bucyrus Fire Dept. and passionately did his job until August 9, 1986 when he had to retire due to medical disability. He loved everything about being a fireman and even after retirement, found himself on the move anytime he heard the general alarm.



Carl loved harness racing and traveled wherever they raced. He especially loved The Little Brown Jug and attended for 50 years, allowing him to witness some great horse racing. He also enjoyed racing stock cars which occurred earlier in life. He spent about eight years racing on the dirt tracks in Mansfield, Lakeville, and Orrville. Carl and Stella shared many travels over the years and there were several unplanned trips. Some of their favorite destinations included Amish Country, Gatlinburg, Florida Mississippi and Las Vegas. Through their travels, they shared many games of putt-putt, coney dogs and his favorite kettle corn from Kilwin’s Chocolates. Many will remember Carl for his love of gambling and over the years, he’s created lots of memories at Texas hold ’em tables as well as pulled many slots at various casinos. One of his favorite trips was to the semiannual slot tournament at the Westward Ho Casino in Las Vegas.



Carl loved time spent with his family, especially his grandchildren. He socialized with friends and family at the Moose Lodge, where at one time, he also participated in their Clown Unit and was known as Bow Tie the clown. He also enjoyed time spent at the VFW, American Legion and Elks Lodge, where he served as a longtime Chaplain and Trustee. He was also Santa Claus for these clubs for several years. Carl was happiest when he made others laugh and he certainly made card games and social events better through his presence.



He will be missed by Stella, his wife of 52 years; sons, Carl (Chris) Easterday Jr. and Casey (Paula) Easterday; grandchildren, Haley Easterday, Clay Easterday and Chase Easterday; as well as a sister, Barbara (Tom) Krantz. He was preceded in death by a son, Billy Easterday and siblings, Julie Harvey, Virginia Caskey and Dallis Easterday.



Carl’s family will receive friends from 4-7 pm Wednesday, March 31 at Wise Funeral Service. His funeral will be held at 11:00 am Thursday at the Bucyrus Fire Station with Bishop Ted Thomas officiating. Entombment will follow in Crawford County Memory Gardens.



Donations can be made payable to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to Shriners Hospitals for Children and these gifts will be accepted through the funeral home. Memories are encouraged to be shared on his tribute page.