John Jr. J. Cashel
1925-Dec. 28, 2007
Lafayette, California
John J. Cashel Jr., 82, a former resident of Palo Alto, died Dec. 28.
He was raised in Palo Alto and graduated from Palo Alto High School, where he was a student body officer and member of its championship water polo and basketball teams. He briefly attended Menlo College on a three-sport athletic scholarship before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps for service as an officer during and following World War II.
He then attended Stanford University, where he played varsity basketball and rugby, and was sports editor of The Stanford Daily. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and graduated in 1948 with a degree in journalism.
He served again in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, resigning his commission in 1955 at the rank of Captain. In 1952, he married college classmate Guyla Runya and started a corporate career in public relations and communications with Kaiser Aluminum that would span more than 30 years. During that time, he also served as state chairman of one of the country's original recycling organizations. After early retirement, he formed a public relations consulting firm, helped found a retirees advocacy association and served on the Board of the World Affairs Council of Northern California.
He was a supporter of scholarships for student athletes, serving as a Board member of the Stanford Buck/Cardinal Club. For his significant and long-standing volunteer service, he was named to the honorary organization of Stanford Associates.
In Lafayette, Calif., he served as an early member of the Lafayette Improvement Association, coached youth basketball and provided adult leadership in Boy Scouts.
He was an active leader of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Orinda, serving five terms as Senior Warden, and as chairman of a major capital fund campaign. He also was a Board member of The Bishop's Ranch conference center, Healdsburg, Calif.
He is survived by his wife, Guyla Cashel of Lafayette; daughters, Joan Pyne of Los Angeles and Susan Jenks of Palo Alto; son, James Cashel of Sonoma; sister, Patricia Schmidt of Palo Alto; and six grandchildren.
Tags: veteran, sports
