Former police chief dies, Upper Gwynedd mourns
By Tony Di Domizio,


Wayne Cassel was a modest man, one who never looked for credit in what he did but maintained a very high work ethic nonetheless.


The former Upper Gwynedd Township police chief passed away Feb. 26 at the age of 67 after a long battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Even during his illness, Wayne continued to do what he loved. He built a covered bridge that can be found in the backyard of his Cardinal Way home in Towamencin, much like the one he built at his former home on Fretz Road.
The 1958 North Penn graduate also continued to influence members of the police department where he was highly respected.
Susan Cassel, Wayne's wife of 22 years and employee at the township, used many words to describe her husband: kind, full of perseverance, gentle, modest.
"He was a very modest person and never looked for credit," she said. "I don't know what people said about him, but most have said what a nice person he was."
In the past Wayne enjoyed hunting and golfing, but his biggest joy was working in the yard and building with his hands.
"He enjoyed building and working in the garden and cutting the grass - he worked very hard on our home here," Susan said. "He built two covered bridges. One is in the backyard of his old home on Fretz Road and he built the second one during his illness."
Wayne was a friendly neighbor, waving to people of his neighborhood as he drove by or talking to them when he tinkered with the big camper that once sat in front of his house.
"We bought that as he was diagnosed with ALS," Susan said. "We used it. We went to Texas, New England, Virginia, and down to the shore. We didn't get as far as we would have liked, but he really enjoyed it."
Simply put, Wayne enjoyed life.
"He fought a very long battle with ALS, very valiantly and never complained," Susan said. "He lived his life to the very end. He worked up until last week, even though he was in a wheelchair."
Susan will always remember him as a very selfless man.
"He was a very gentle man," she said. "I hope he will be remembered as such."
Dave Poirier, deputy chief of Upper Gwynedd police, will surely remember him that way.
"Chief Cassel was a very kind person," Poirier said. "He worked very hard here at the police department and he had an influence on a lot of young officers' careers."
Poirier came to the department in 1990, when Cassel was a deputy chief. When Cassel was appointed acting chief in July 1992, there would be a 12-year gap before the department would see a deputy chief again.
"I'm honored to be in his shoes after a long time," Poirier said. "I aspire to have a career as successful as his."
Poirier also remembers Cassel as a man of understanding and compassion.
When Poirier's daughter was born as a premature baby, he said it was "touch and go for three months."
"Chief Cassel extended the utmost leniency for me to leave work to go to Abington Hospital if I needed to," he said. "He cared very much. He understood families came first. I'll never forget how he understood that and accommodated my needs."
Poirier agreed that Cassel was selfless.
"He was willing to give," he said. "Once, there was this young officer retiring, and he worked the streets so the guys closest to the officer could go to the event. A deputy chief to pull a shift is rare. He put others first and he will be missed without a doubt."
Former Upper Gwynedd Chief Bob Freed, who retired Friday, was hired in 1972 and at that time Cassel was a patrol sergeant.
"He was a fine gentleman," Freed said. "He had a commitment and dedication to law enforcement in Upper Gwynedd and the community."
He said Freed was able to keep public safety in the township up and running at a time when manpower was suppressed.
"He had great character and dealt with everything fairly and did his best for his service in the community," he said. "He will be missed."
Cassel joined the department in 1962 as a patrolman, becoming sergeant in 1971 and deputy chief in 1979. He was named acting chief in July 1992 and appointed chief in March 1993, after William Herr retired Dec. 31, 1992. He remained as chief until his retirement in 1995 to work in the security division of Merck, where he remained until 1999.
Commissioner James Santi was quoted in 1993 as saying Cassel never missed a day of work in nine years. He was named Outstanding Young Officer of the Year by the Lansdale Jaycees in 1976.
Prior to his police career Cassel served as an MP in the Army from 1959 to 1962. He said in a 1993 interview that it was his desire to be a police officer ever since elementary school.
"It was my desire, my career. I don't ever think I regretted it," he said in a 1987 interview. "You have to want to do it. To take a job as a police officer just to make a living isn't a good idea. It requires a lot of dedication if you want to do a good job on the street, and you can't do it just between 9 and 5."
Wayne certainly lived up to his word.