Funeral arrangements for former U.S. Congressman and Governor Mike Castle, who died on Aug. 14 at age 86, have been announced.
A visitation for family and friends will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Chandler Funeral Home at 2506 Concord Pike, near Fairfax. Overflow parking will be available at the nearby St. Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church on 7 Sharpley Road.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Castle will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 22, at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church, 10 Old Church Road in Greenville.
A Celebration of Life will follow immediately at the Wilmington Country Club, 4825 Kennett Pike in Greenville. Burial will be private.
Castle, a Wilmington native, died at the Country House in Greenville, where he lived with Jane DiSabatino, his wife of 33 years. His death was attributed to a long illness, according to an obituary on the Chandler Funeral Home website.
The obituary called his wife Jane "his everything. Castle and DiSabatino's courtship began as a friendship that developed over lunches in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1980s.
"I recognized that Jane was the kind of person who lights up a room," Castle said in a 1992 interview with The News Journal shortly before their May 23 wedding at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Dover.
"When Mike Castle says he's going to do something in our relationship, his follow-through is impeccable. He's a man who sticks by his word. He's sensitive and caring," DiSabatino added in the same interview.
One of the priests at the couple's wedding was the Rev. Roberto Balducelli, the pastor emeritus of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Wilmington. DiSabatino told The News Journal she asked Balducelli to lead the exchange of vows because her parents were the first couple Balducelli married when he came to the United States from Italy.
Castle is survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters Louisa Johnston Castle and Ann Castle Boswell and brother James Manderson Castle, III.
Castle's extended family included his staff and campaign volunteers who considered him a mentor and trusted friend, according to the obituary. "He truly valued and appreciated their dedication and loyalty throughout his years in public service," it read.
Castle's career as a Delaware politician spanned more than 40 years, holding nearly every major state office. He served as a state representative and senator in the Delaware General Assembly, later became lieutenant governor under Gov. Pete du Pont, and then served two terms as Delaware's governor from 1985 to 1992.
In 1993, he became Delaware's lone representative to the U.S. House of Representatives. His 18 years of service earned him the honor of being the longest-serving U.S. Representative in Delaware's history.
Castle's accomplishments as a congressman include sponsoring legislation that created commemorative coins, including the 50 State Quarters, the Sacagawea dollar, the Presidential Dollar coins, and the America the Beautiful Quarters programs.
He also helped write and pass the No Child Left Behind legislation to improve public schools. He was a co-sponsor in the successful passage of the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period for the purchase of a gun and the implementation of computerized instant background checks.
The bill was named after James Brady, President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, who was shot and injured during an assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981. Brady later lived in Rehoboth Beach with his wife, Sarah.
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According to his obituary, Castle loved the outdoors and had been a camp counselor in Maine. He was a Philadelphia sports enthusiast and an avid fan of the Phillies, Flyers, 76ers, Eagles, and the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.
Castle enjoyed parades in Delaware, especially on Halloween. His predecessor, Gov. Pete du Pont, liked to dress up as Dracula to greet visitors at Woodburn, the Governor's Mansion in Dover, and Castle enjoyed donning a Frankenstein costume to greet families visiting there. He also wore the costume when he visited parades in each of Delaware's three counties.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions to The Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware, 669 S. Union Street, Wilmington, 19805, or Friends of Wilmington Parks, P.O. Box 435, Montchanin, 19710-0435.
Patricia Talorico can be found on Instagram, X and Facebook. Email [email protected]. Have a story idea? Ryan Cormier can be reached at [email protected] or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Funeral set for Mike Castle, former Delaware governor and congressman
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