In the 1950's, Stan became interested in the problems of the physically handicapped. An active Shrine member, he was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Shriners Hospital for Sick Children in Montreal. Recognizing the need for rehabilitating the handicapped, he established the Forest Hill Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton in 1958. In conjunction with this effort, he also established a number of gas stations known as "Rehab Showcases" to provide employment for physically handicapped persons. He received numerous awards and considerable recognition for his efforts, including the Distinguished Citizen Award of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce in 1978, the Judge Chaiker Abbis Award from the New Brunswick Association, and the Salvation Army Shield of Merit.

In 1984 he was awarded the Therese Casgrain Award by the Government of Canada. This award is made to only two Canadians a year in recognition of their contribution toward major social issues. In 1987 he was appointed to the Order of Canada, the highest honor Canada bestows on its citizens. In 1990 he received the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers Meritorious Service Award for Community Service, a first for a New Brunswick native.

In recognition of Stan's work in rehabilitation, in 1994 the Forest Hill Rehabilitation Centre was renamed the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation.

Stan was a flying enthusiast. He learned to fly in 1954 and owned several single and twin engine ‏(Taylorcraft, Bonanza, Baron)‏ aircraft during his lifetime. He logged over 6,000 hours during his lifetime and was checked out ‏(licensed)‏ for numerous types of aircraft including the Lear Jet. At age 81, he still held a Class I instrument rating and regularly flew his twin engine Beachcraft Baron on business and personal trips throughout Canada and the U.S. In addition, he continued to work full time in his electrical contracting business, was as active as ever in sports, and each spring spent a few weeks in the sugar bush tapping trees to make maple syrup.

On Feb. 1, 1993 he fell off a ladder while working on a job. It is a common accident. He stepped off the ladder while still four rungs from the bottom. In the fall he struck the back of his head, requiring four stitches to close the wound. However, over the next two days he progressively became very weak. He was rushed to the Saint John Regional Hospital where a cat scan revealed a skull fracture and fluid collecting on the brain. Before an operation could be done, he developed pneumonia and died three months later at Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton.

Stan's funeral included a full Masonic service attended by a very large number of Brothers from across New Brunswick and Maine. About 400 people attended the service at St. Paul's United Church. The eulogy was given by his longtime friend Bill Cooper from Moncton. Bill's remarks give an indication of how Stan was viewed in the community:
We are gathered here today to say farewell to an old friend and to remind ourselves just how great a friend Stan Cassidy really was.

We are gathered here today to express our sincere sympathy to Elsie, to Bruce, to Peter, to Brian, to Gordon, to the grandchildren and to all the family and to show them we feel their sorrow.

And we are gathered here today to give thanks that he was with us and to ourselves that we would not forget him.

Stan grew up on the family homestead at Cassidy Lake and attended high school at Sussex. In 1933 he received a degree in electrical engineering from UNB and in 1935, a masters degree in electrical engineering. From that time forward he set out to work and serve in Fredericton. After a period as broadcast engineer with radio station CFNB, he started his own electrical contracting business, which he continued to operate until now.

As his business thrived, his belief in and his compassion for his fellow man became more and more apparent.

During the 1950s, Stan became interested in the problems of the physically handicapped. At that time, he was also an active Mason and Shriner and that special interest was recognized. He was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Shriner's Hospital for Sick Children in Montreal.

In 1958 Stan established the Forest Hill Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton. The Centre was a forerunner for its time and continues to grow, serving the people of New Brunswick and Canada. Under Stan's guidance, the Centre became a pioneer in solving problems for its clients. In collaboration with UNB and others, such as the Menzie family, significant advances became possible.

As a means to provide employment for the physically handicapped; he established, in conjunction with Forest Hill, a number of gas stations known as "Rehab Showcases". Think about it. Not only did he identify a problem for the physically handicapped, but he also provided the means to solve the problem and then employment for those in special need. The circle was closed.

This epitomized that driving force which guided his life. If there was a need -- it was worth doing. If it was worth doing -- it was worth doing well, perfectly, if possible. We are the beneficiaries of that drive.

He maintained a continuing and active leadership at Forest Hill.

It was during the 50s that he developed his love of flying. His flying became important as a recreation and to his business; but he always found a way to use it to help others. Often he would fly patients to far away hospitals or concerned parents to visit their children at the Shriner's Hospital.

Stan's community life became even more active as years went on. He was a member of many organizations including:
- The Engineering Institute of Canada
- The Professional Engineers of New Brunswick ‏(Life member since 1980)‏
- The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
- The American Owners and Pilots Association
- The Fredericton Curling Club
- The Capital Winter Club
- The Thistle Fishing Club
- St. Paul's United Church of Canada
- Fredericton Masonic Orders:
Hiram Lodge #6
Fredericton Chapter #2
Fredericton Perceptory #50
Scottish Rite ‏(32nd Degree)‏
York Rite Council
St. Anne Conclave #27
Luxor Temple ‏(Shrine)‏
- Canadian Order of DeMolay ‏(How fortunate many of us were to have heard Stan deliver the inspirational "Candlelight Lecture".)‏

Those are some of the organizations he belonged to, but Stan never just belonged. To Stan, membership meant obligation as well. He served in senior positions in every task he undertook and earned the respect of everyone who worked with him. He was a doer who made it easy for others to do as well.

Let me remind you of the many tasks undertaken by Stan. These undertakings were all for someone else. He strove continually to make life easier for others and he did it through his volunteer work in the community. He was:
- A President of the Professional Engineers of N.B.
- A Vice President of the Engineering Institute of Canada
- A Member of the Board of Governors of UNB
- A President of Provincial Artisans of N.B.
- A Member of the Board of the Bio-Engineering Institute
- A President of the N.B. Hospital Association
- A President of the Maritime Hospital Association
- A Chairman of the Red Shield Campaign for Fredericton
- A Chairman of Advisory Council - Salvation Army
- A Member of the Board of the Research and Productivity Council
- A President of the Fredericton Music Society
- A Member of the Board of the D.E.C. Hospital
- A Chairman of the Board N.B. ExtraMural Hospital
- A Member of the Board of Trustees of St. Paul's Church
- He held the senior office in every Masonic Order to which he belonged
- And, of course, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Forest Hill Rehabilitation Centre

This is a long list of accomplishments and I thought we should remember them today so that we might reflect on and appreciate the contribution this man made to our community.

While performing these enormous tasks, Stan met many, many people. It was during these meetings, whether at a board meeting or a chance meeting on the street, that Stan gave us another great gift - he taught us, by example, the many virtues needed to guide our everyday lives.

He taught us about fair play, about honesty, about forgiveness, about patience, about selflessness, about charity, about loyalty, about devotion, about friendship, about hope, about faith, and about all those things which give us integrity. It is how he lived his life and it teaches us, that we too can subscribe to all these tenets and be happy and successful too.

Let's also not forget that while all this was going on he was raising a family, a family to which he was devoted. For he and Elsie, they shared a time of mutual love, devotion, and respect. He was so proud of the boys and their families. His eyes sparkled when he related their latest triumph.

Stan was never one to brag or toot his own horn, but people began to realize that when Stan was around, things began to happen. Stan went on doing for others. His friends knew it, and soon others began to notice too:
- UNB noticed in 1975 when they presented him with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
- The N.B. Hospital Association noticed in 1977 when he became the first recipient of the Judge Chaiker Abbis Award.
- The Premier noticed in 1978 when he appointed Stan Chairman of the Task Force on N.B. Health Care, and the same year Stan received a testimonial from the Premier acknowledging outstanding service so generously given to his community.
- The citizens of Fredericton noticed in 1984 when he received the Therese Casgrain Award for significant contributions to a social cause.
- The Governor-General noticed in 1987 when he was appointed to the Order of Canada - the highest honor Canada has for its citizens.
- The Professional Engineers noticed in 1990 when he received the Meritorious Award for Community Service.
- The Northside Rotary Club noticed in 1991 when he was made a Paul Harris Fellow.
- We all noticed.

One of the many things Stan valued were his friendships and he kept in close contact, whether near or far. Fellowship was like a tonic for Stan and it became the same for his friends. There are some of us here today who will never forget our get-togethers at Journey's End, or at Joe's camp, or at Bud and Ernies', or at Alfie's. These were special moments made for us by Stan.

We all have had special moments with Stan. There are so many fond memories. We will continue to share them with each other. We all will remember him in our own special way.

There is not one of us here today who is not better off for having met Stan. His footprints abound in our community.

Husband, brother, father, grandfather, friend, benefactor. A Kings County boy from Cassidy Lake. We will not forget.
Bill Cooper
May 10, 1993

Stan's body was cremated and his ashes interred in the family cemetery on the homestead at Cassidy Lake next to his ancestors on August 1, 1993 as part of the annual family gathering.

Throughout his life he was blessed with unusually good health. Having both hips replaced in the late 1980s allowed him to continue his very active lifestyle. In December of 1992, he and Elsie flew in his twin engine Beechcraft Baron to Nashville to spend Christmas with his sons Peter and Bruce. Bruce was visiting from South Africa with his new wife Allison. His final medical to renew his pilot license was done on January 13, 1993 at which time he was certified fully fit to hold a Class I instrument rating.

Stan became a Mason in Hiram Lodge No. 6 of Fredericton in 1942. He received the York Rite degrees in 1944 and Scottish Rite degrees in 1965 in Saint John. He was a member of Luxor Shrine Temple in Saint John. He was Potentate of Luxor Temple in 1961 and Master of Hiram Lodge in 1983. He was very active in DeMolay and served as Grand Master for Canada from 1981 to 1983.

Stan lived in Lincoln, N.B. from the late 1930s until 1958 when he and Elsie built a home in Fredericton at 151 Rookwood Avenue. The house in Lincoln sat on 20 acres of land that was the site of the CFNB radio station transmitter, the station where Stan was chief engineer. In the early 1950s the tower was dismantled and the radio transmitter moved to a new site in Fredericton. Stan bought the property and converted it to a permanent residence. The upstairs apartment where he and his family had lived was rented out. In the mid 1950s he built a 24-hour service station and restaurant ‏(lunch counter)‏ on the property. Stan's father and mother, Allen and Edith, operated the lunch counter for several years. It closed in the early 1960s.