10/02/2026
As we enter Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we remember Casey Allen—and the life, love, and promise she carried.
Casey was smart, kind, curious, strong, and ambitious. After graduating from Cherokee High School, she looked toward her future with determination. She had a gift for chemistry and physics and so much ahead of her.
Her first marriage was brief, but it brought her two children she adored. The memory of her small church wedding in Macedonia still brings a smile to my face. After that marriage ended, she was cautious about marrying again.
Just four months before her life ended, Casey brought her new husband home to celebrate Christmas with us. He talked about how difficult it had been to persuade her to go out with him and how lucky he felt to have her as his wife.
I will always remember Casey that Christmas: newly married, beaming with joy, and looking forward to the baby she would welcome in just a few months. I remember her laughter, her chasing her children through the kitchen, and how full of life she was.
What we did not know then was the abuse she was enduring at home.
People experiencing domestic violence may keep their suffering hidden for many reasons. Fear, shame, threats, isolation, concern for their children, and barriers others cannot see can make reaching out or leaving difficult and dangerous. The responsibility for abuse always belongs to the person causing it.
This month, we honor Casey by remembering the whole person she was, listening without judgment, and offering compassion and support to those experiencing abuse.
May we never forget Casey Allen.
Rest in peace, Casey. Until we meet again.
Christopher Dean Snow, 31, of Gainesville, is charged with murder in his wife's homicide.
