Dr. John Erwin Casto

Dr. John Erwin Casto, 81, of St. Albans went home to be with the Lord on Friday, April 13, 2018 at his residence. John was born in Charleston to the late Foster and Beatrice Car Casto. The family moved to St Albans where they became members of St Mark's Episcopal Church. He was a graduate of St. Albans High School, class of 1954, the last high school class to graduate from the old school. John then entered Marshall College as a pre-med student and was a member of the Army ROTC and Pershing rifles, Sigma Phi Epsilon and the school choral program. It was there at Marshall that he met and married the love of his life, Janett Cotton, his wife for the past sixty-one years. Upon completion of his pre-med entry requirements, he was accepted into the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN. During his years at Southern College, he served as vice-president of his class and also of the Phi Theta Upsilon Professional Fraternity. Upon graduation, John accepted a commission into the US Army Medical Service Corp in Fort Sam Houston, TX. He traveled by plane and railroad to the 42nd field hospital in Verdun, France, which later became the 319th Station Hospital and there served as Chief of the eye clinic. After his Army commitment, John and Jan returned home and after exploring various locations they decided to start a family and an Optometric practice in St. Albans. He retired from optometry after 50 years of practice but continued to dedicate his time to the community after his retirement. Surviving are his loving wife, Janett Lee McDaniel Cotton Casto; daughters and sons-in-law, Allison Lee and Robin Breeden and Ashley Janett Burgener, son and daughter-in-law, John Cotton and Amy Casto. Also surviving are grandchildren, Haley Yost, Ryan and Daniel Burgener, Nathan and Cate Breeden, JC, Blake and Seth Casto, and great grandson Declan Yost, and nephews Richard and Randy Hamilton. John served in all offices of the West Virginia Association of Optometric Physicians, serving as President in 1976; the West Virginia Board of Examiners, then on to the Southern Council of Optometry serving as its President in 1984 and as a Trustee to the Southern College of Optometry in 1996. Through his efforts in optometric education, John has received many awards including Optometrist of the Year by the State Association; Optometrist of the South; Lifetime Achievement Awards by Southern Council, Southern College of Optometry, American Optometric Association and by the West Virginia Association of Optometric Physicians. In July 2017, he was inducted into the American Optometric Associations Optometry Hall of Fame. John was very involved in his community and various clubs and organization, just to mention a few, the St. Albans Chambers of Commerce, St. Albans STARTA, St Albans Rotary, and St Albans Hall of Fame Board. He will be inducted into the St. Albans Hall of Fame later this year for his lifetime dedication to our community and schools. Graveside service will be held at 11:00 am Monday, April 16, 2018 at Cunningham Memorial Park, Upper Mausoleum Chapel, St. Albans. You may visit his tribute page at Chapmanfuneralhomes.com to share memories with the family. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, In Memory of John E. Casto, 405 B Street, St. Albans, WV 25177. Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, family owned and located at 409 Sixth Ave., St. Albans is honored to serve the Casto family.

Dr. John Erwin Casto

July 13, 1936 - April 13, 2018