Houston pastor's remains spend 7 months in funeral home; family finally granted legal rights to bury

Houston pastor finally gets father's remains

Seven months, that's how long a Houston pastor's remains have sat in a funeral home awaiting a court judgment for burial. Now, his daughter is finally able to lay her father to rest.

HOUSTON - A Houston pastor's remains sat unburied for seven months due to a court battle over who had legal rights to them.

7 months awaiting a proper burial 

Records show that after a seven-month legal dispute, the daughter of a late Houston pastor has been granted the right to bury her father, whose remains have sat in a funeral home since his death last fall.

Pastor Will Casey Jr. died Sept. 25, 2024, after a battle with dementia, according to his family. His remains have been at Lockwood Funeral Home in Houston since, according to his family. 

His daughter, Pastor Teresa Casey, says she’s spent months in court fighting for the right to lay him to rest—after discovering a woman had filed a marriage license on the day of his death, according to records. 

"We were robbed—my family and I were robbed from having a proper service for Daddy," Teresa said.

The marriages 

Will had been previously married to Joanna Casey Love for decades before the couple divorced in March 2024, according to Harris County divorce records. Following the divorce, Teresa says she became her father’s primary caregiver.

Court records show a new marriage license between Will and Joanna was issued on Sept. 9, 2024—just 16 days before Will's death. But Teresa alleges her father never went to the courthouse and was physically incapable of doing so.

Video shared with FOX 26 shows Will bedridden in a care facility time-stamped the same day the license was signed.

How can someone be married without being present?

The marriage was legitimized using a document known as an Affidavit of Absent Applicant—typically used when one party cannot appear in person. Teresa believes her father’s signature on the affidavit was forged.

"I could have just fallen over," she said. "When I looked at the signature, I automatically told the clerk, ‘My dad didn’t sign this.’"

According to Teresa, she only learned about the marriage when the funeral home director called her ahead of the planned October service, informing her that Will’s wife had legal control over his remains.

Teresa says Joanna had been absent in her and her father's lives since the March divorce. 

"It really bothered me to see that there was this marriage license—yet where is this person?" Teresa said. "And so I had to make a decision: Are we going to cancel the services or have them without my father being there?"

The ruling 

Last week, a Harris County probate judge awarded Teresa disposition of her father’s remains, allowing her to proceed with burial plans, according to records. 

"You don’t even have to ask for forgiveness," Teresa said, addressing the situation. "I forgive you. I just want to get Daddy to his final resting place."

What's next

Joanna Casey Love has spoken to FOX 26 in previous reports claiming the marriage is legitimate. 

There is an ongoing civil suit related to the case. No criminal court has proven any fraud in connection with the marriage license. Joanna Casey Love’s attorney has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Teresa says she's now the pastor of her father's church, True Vine Holiness Deliverance Temple in Acres Homes, carrying on his legacy. She says he's an Army vet, and she plans to bury him at the V.A. 

"My dad was taken advantage of, and I want justice for my dad," Teresa said. "I don’t want this to happen to anybody else’s father."