Walk into the produce section of Casey’s Foods in Naperville, and you might notice some new art above the fresh fruits and vegetables.
Colleen Casey Wilcox, daughter of the grocery store’s former owner, Dan Casey, has painted a new mural to honor her late father.
“My dad was so generous and just really connected with the people in Naperville,” said Wilcox.
“I was thrilled when Colleen said she was able and interested to come home and create this art,” said Kris Visher, current owner of Casey’s Foods. “Colleen and I connected and we realized this was a mutual desire to honor Dan, share Colleen’s incredible art, and continue to create Casey’s Foods Naperville, a place where family matters and quality and service continue Dan’s legacy.”
Words of wisdom for shoppers at Casey’s Foods
Wilcox hopes her father’s own words, “Support your local businesses and you’ll live in a nice community,” now painted in the store, continue to connect with shoppers.
“I thought that his words were so important to share in this world today, just to kind of remind everyone that community is so special and what we have here, we’re lucky to have it,” she said.
Finding peace in painting
Wilcox was born in 1992, a year after her father opened up Casey’s, often coming to the store as a little girl. She would find herself working her first job there at 16 years old.
Today, she lives in Vermont and is a professional artist, painting giant murals in cities across the country.
“When I’m painting, especially something of this large scale that takes hours and hours and hours, you get into that kind of sense of flow and time doesn’t matter,” said Wilcox. “You just feel this kind of ease and relaxation.”
This time, having returned to the town she grew up in, that ease was coupled with the comfort of her father’s memory.
“I really have felt him and felt his presence as I’ve been working on this mural,” said Wilcox. “I think he’s smiling down at me.”
Leaving a lasting legacy
In addition to the mural, she’s also hand-painted fruit and vegetables at the entrance of the produce section, small touches she hopes bring a smile to customers just as her father had.
Wilcox hopes all the art will help carry on the Casey family name for generations to come.
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