Herbert C. Casteel, 94, Carthage, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at his home with family at his bedside. Herbert C. Casteel was born May 31, 1922 in Princeton, MO; a son of the late Herbert C. Casteel, Sr. and Corah Alice (Brantley) Casteel.

He was a graduate of Princeton High School, Class of 1940 and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO in 1948.

Mr. Casteel served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 during WWII reaching the rank of 2 Lieutenant. He was the first post-war commander of the Carthage National Guard, a post he held until 1952.

He married Virginia Jeanne Oltman on November 5, 1949 in Sarcoxie, MO; she preceded him in death on May 24, 2002. He was a member of Fairview Christian Church, Carthage, where he served as an elder and long time Sunday School teacher.

Mr. Casteel came to Carthage after law school and opened a law office with Richard Webster Sr. He practiced law for 15 years and served as a trial judge for 26 years.

He served on a number of boards including Leggett and Platt, Big Smith, Tapjac and Ozark Christian College. He served as Mayor of Carthage from 1990 to 1994. He authored two books, Drums of Moloch and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

Survivors include two daughters; Jane (Steven) Jennings, Joplin, MO and Nancy (John) Mouton, Carthage; a son, Jordan (Joan) Casteel, Stephens City, VA; six grandchildren; Ben (Debbie) and Brian (Beth) Jennings, Josh and Jonathan Mouton, Sarah Mouton Dowdy (Cash) and eight great grandchildren.

Besides his wife, Jeanne, Mr. Casteel was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Laura Jeanne Casteel, four brothers, Curtis (killed in action during WWII), Richard, Lawrence and James; five sisters, Mary, Esther, Phyllis, Alice Lee and Roberta.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 PM, Sunday, January 15 at Fairview Christian Church, Carthage. A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 PM, Monday, January 16 at Fairview Christian Church. Minister Boyce Mouton will officiate.
Interment will be in Park Cemetery, Carthage.
Arrangements under the direction of Knell Mortuary.
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Joplin Globe
Joplin, Missouri
January 11, 2017

Colleagues and friends on Wednesday remembered Herbert Casteel as a good judge, a good mayor and "a true gentleman."

Casteel, who served 26 years as a Jasper County judge and four years as Carthage mayor, died Tuesday at his home in Carthage at 94. In addition to his work on the court and in Carthage, he was a longtime leader at Ozark Christian College, where he served on the board for 37 years.

In 1948, Casteel opened a Carthage law practice that later included Sen. Richard Webster as a partner. He served for 14 years as an associate circuit judge and 12 years as a circuit judge, before retiring in 1988.

He was Carthage mayor from 1990 to 1994.

Attorneys who practiced before Casteel praised his work on the bench.

"He was a great student of the law and he kept a notebook with citations and authority for just about any issue that would come up in a trial," Fleischaker said. "If an attorney objected, he would look up his research and make his ruling. This was years before computers; he had the law at this fingertips and he almost never got reversed."

He said Casteel, as a judge, was fair to the prosecution and defense and, at times, would let his dry wit emerge in the courtroom.

"He wasn't afraid to be light now and then, but he was extremely professional," Fleischaker said. "I had the utmost respect for him," Fleischaker said.

Attorneys Karl Blanchard Jr. in Joplin and Bill Lasley, of Carthage, said Casteel was "a true gentleman" and a rare judge in that he would reverse a ruling if he determined he made a decision in error.

"If he made a decision, and later got information his initial decision was wrong, his pride would not deter him from saying 'I was wrong; I'm going to reverse,'" Lasley said.

"He was a good judge who provided a level playing field for both sides. He was a true gentleman and a really good guy," added Blanchard.

Bill Johnson, a longtime Carthage councilman, described Casteel as "a great person and a great mayor."

"He had a heart for Carthage and wanted to see that everyone in Carthage got a fair shot — whether you were president of Leggett & Platt or worked at the wire mill," he said.

Kenneth Johnson, a former Carthage mayor who also served on the council during Casteel's tenure, said he was "very straightforward."

"We didn't always agree, but you always knew where he stood and there were no hard feelings when it was over," he said. "I thought he did a great job."

Casteel was "an outstanding member" of the Board of Trustees at OCC, according to Matt Proctor, college president.

"He served as a trustee here for 37 years, starting in 1966, including time as chairman of the board," he said. "His wisdom and clarity of thought were a great contribution to the college — the same clear-headedness that gave him a fine legal mind made him a fine overseer."

Proctor said Casteel was strongly committed to the OCC mission and wanted the college to remain a Bible college for training men and women for Christian service.

"He kept us straight as an arrow on that mission for almost 40 years, and he was also as a bridge-builder who promoted a sense of unity and teamwork," he said.

He noted the administration building at OCC is named for Casteel and his wife, Jeanne, in honor of their longtime leadership and contributions to the college.

Author

After his retirement from the bench, Herbert Casteel wrote two books supporting precepts of the Bible and Christian religion. He was a longtime member of Fairview Christian Church, where he served as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher.