James "Ty" Taylor Case III

Ty Case died peacefully on January 13, 2017 at Delaware Hospice Center in Milford after a courageous lifelong battle to live.  His wife, Holly, was at his side.

Ty was born in Dover, Delaware on March 13, 1955.  His lifelong passion was Harness Racing, and he started as a little boy racing ponies.  After graduating from Caesar Rodney High School in 1973, he began training and driving Standardbred horses full time.   His father, Jim Case, was part owner of the High Hope Racing Stable and Ty was able to help develop, train, and drive many good horses.  Ty and one of his favorite horses, High Hope Leslie, held the Dover Down track record for aged pacing mares which stood for 7 years.  Ty was so proud of having George Teague work for him when they were both young men.  George has gone on to develop some of the best harness horses in history, and he always gave credit to Ty for teaching him ways to develop young horses. 

As a teenager, Ty developed diabetes.  In his late thirties, diabetes began to take its toll.  He had kidney failure and then went on dialysis.  In 1993, he had a kidney/pancreas transplant.  He was back to driving and training horses within 3 months.   In 1995, while he was in the hospital for partial foot amputations, he suddenly went completely blind and never regained any sight.  The next obstacle was a quadruple heart bypass in 1997.  Then, in 2012 he had 6 strokes and had a successful intracranial indirect bypass on his brain.

Ty and Holly initially began dating at the Delaware State Fair in 1969 as teenagers  where they each shared their love of horses.   Holly’s family moved to Culpeper, Virginia, and Ty would come visit by bus.  Eventually, the distance proved too big an obstacle for teenagers, and each of them ultimately married other people.  However, 32 years later, they reconnected, and married in 2005. Ty hadn’t seen Holly since she was 14, and Holly always told him that she looked just the same as she had in 1969.  Together they built their beloved home, Second Chance.  They joined other friends in numerous Standardbred horse partnerships and were lucky to have many outstanding race horses.  In 2016 they had another successful year with good horses such as Bluebird Reverend and Artrageous.  Even though Ty couldn’t see, he visualized how races were playing out as he listened to the announcers and race fractions.

After blindness, Ty became a switchboard operator at the Dover Air Force Base, working for the DE Division of Visually Impaired.  He was so proud of the fact that he was just as competent as his sighted co-workers.  Ty was voted the Delaware Outstanding Employee of the Year by his co-workers and supervisors and then his application was placed in a pool of 6,000 nationwide candidates to compete for the Peter J.  Salmon Award for the National Employee of the Year.  Ty was the ultimate winner of this prestigious award which was presented to him in New Orleans at the national conference.  Two months prior to his death, he still rode a van daily from Dover to New Castle where he continued to work for the DE Division of Visually Impaired.  Ty’s last wishes he expressed to doctors was to regain his health and return to work. 

  Ty was an inspiration to everyone who knew him.  No matter the disabilities and obstacles, he wouldn’t give up.  Blindness was a terrible handicap, but he learned to use talking software and could research things on the internet, prepare Excel spreadsheets, and help Holly with her business.  He rarely felt sorry for himself.  His close friends and wife knew him to be one of the most witty and hilarious people on earth.  He used to laugh and tell people he was “the autopsy that lived.” Instead of giving up, he did everything possible to be a productive man. 

Ty is survived by his loving wife, Holly Holden Case, his daughter Leslie DiPietro (Tony), his son James T Case IV “JT” (Kris), his stepsons Rick Carroll and Michael Carroll (Brittney) and 5 grandchildren.  He is also survived by his mother, Janet Brown, his brother, Todd Case (Lisa), and his beloved guide dog, Max.    Ty was predeceased by his father, Jim Case, his stepfather, Kenneth Brown, and his former guide dog, Davis.

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 on Thursday, January 19 from 1:00-2:30. 

It would be Ty’s last wish that people consider being organ donors – both living and deceased.  Ty would want people to know that two friends, Pamela Benton of Seaford, Delaware and Lisa Berry of Wyoming, Delaware had volunteered and tested to be living organ donors for his failing kidney.  Words cannot express the gratitude that Ty and Holly have for these unselfish people.  Unfortunately, Ty’s body gave out before a transplant could take place.   Holly would also like to give heartfelt appreciation to four outstanding people -   Dr. Gertrude Findley-Christian, Dr.  Joel Rutenberg,   Dr. Marissa Conti,

and the unknown young man whose family made the gift of life which allowed Ty to live for 23 wonderful years free from insulin shots and dialysis.  If people would like to make monetary donations in Ty’s memory, they can be made to Delaware Hospice 911 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901, or the Standardbred Retirement Foundation, 353 Sweetmans Lane Ste 101, Millstone Twp., NJ 08535 (www.adoptahorse.org)

Letters of condolences can be sent via www.pippinfuneralhome.com

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