Casey FitzSimons

September 21, 1946 – West Point, NY

Casey FitzSimons passed away in her home in Redwood City on December 24, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. Born at West Point, NY, to Lt. Col. George T. Campbell, Jr. and Olivia Lucile Campbell (née FitzSimons), Casey spent her early years as part of a U.S. Army family. She lived in Germany, Brazil, and across the United States, attending multiple high schools before graduating from Tamalpais High School in Marin County while her family was stationed at Fort Baker. She was a National Merit Scholar.

Casey was a true polymath and Renaissance woman. She earned a BA in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley; a JD from UC Law San Francisco; and an MA in Fine Art from San José State University.

Casey’s art focused on the human form, with primary works including figure drawings and portraits in oil, charcoal, and pastel. Beyond models, her deeply personal subjects included self-portraits, family members, and California artists. She also created en plein air oil landscapes of Northern California, a 13-piece New Testament series in oil, abstract works in acrylic and airbrush, and still lifes in oil and charcoal. She experimented with small-scale sculpture but remained most passionate about portraiture and figures.

Casey served as the Chair of Fine Arts at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where she inspired countless students with her expertise and passion for teaching. She was deeply respected by her peers and students for her commitment to the arts and education.

She was a prolific artist and the author of Serious Drawing: A Basic Manual (1989), a cherished resource written in accessible language for art students. As an art critic, Casey contributed incisive reviews to Artweek, where her thoughtful and informed perspectives enriched the Bay Area art community. Her writing elevated the conversation around local exhibitions, providing insights that resonated with artists and audiences alike.

Later she was Vice President of Editorial and Production at Key Curriculum Press, a mathematics publisher.

Casey was a published poet, with her work appearing in journals such as Massachusetts Review and Midwest Quarterly. Her work often delved into themes of memory, personal reflection, and the passage of time. She self-published 15 poetry chapbooks, including More Than I Can Stand to Know and Waiting in the Car, and was a frequent featured reader at Bay Area poetry venues. Her literary talents were recognized with several awards, including a Pushcart Prize nomination. Her poetry was featured in multiple anthologies.

She was a member of the editorial staff of the Marin Poetry Center Anthology and served as a submissions reviewer for Caesura Poetry Journal in San José. She offered workshops across the Bay Area on poetry craft and criticism, as well as on the interpretation of Robert Frost’s poems.

Casey’s love of creativity extended into her personal life. She was fluent in German, a skill she developed as an adult but initiated during her years abroad. Casey was a volunteer tutor in local schools. She sewed, laid brickwork, and delighted in crafting intricate Christmas cookies for friends and family. She was a skilled Scrabble player and did crossword puzzles in pen.

Casey loved writing songs and playing guitar, piano, and drums. She loved Women's Hearts and Hands Guitar Camp and the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.

Among her many creative projects was a pillow toy she designed for Nicole as an infant—a set of six rotating tetrahedrons. In homage, Nicole is now developing the toy commercially with a companion children’s book with input from Casey during her final days in hospice.

Above all, Casey fostered a deep love of the arts in her daughter and grandchildren, leaving a legacy of creativity and self-expression across generations. She was smart, witty, kind, and generous, if also exacting. She adored her granddaughters.

Casey was predeceased by her mother, Olivia C. Mauritson; her stepfather, Dr. Donald F. Mauritson; her father, Lt. Col. George T. Campbell, Jr.; her brother, George T. Campbell, III; and her sister, Olivia Shaffer.

Known as Nama, she is survived by her daughter, Nicole Marie Bergeron, and son-in-law, Ted Lempert, of San Carlos, CA; her granddaughters, Caroline Bergeron Lempert of Vancouver, BC, Veronica Bergeron Lempert of San Francisco, and Julianne Bergeron Lempert of San Carlos; her sisters, Charlotte Carberry of Redwood City, CA and Cathy Hutchison of Bixby, OK; her brother, Charles Campbell of The Netherlands, and several generations of nieces and nephews.

A committed humanitarian, Casey’s favorite charity was Doctors Without Borders, and those wishing to honor her memory are encouraged to make a donation in her name.

A service and poetry open mic celebrating Casey’s extraordinary life will be held on April 12, 2025 in Half Moon Bay. 

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