Claude Warren Case
Claude Warren Case was born on July 4, 1942, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Nancy Harper Case and Charlie Case. The first child, he was followed in the next few years by brothers Michael and Charles (Chuck).
Claude attended public schools in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, always excelling at math. He took up the trombone in elementary school and played through college. He enjoyed acting as well; his most memorable role was the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I. He spent his junior year of high school in Göteborg, Sweden, making lifelong friends with the teenage son of his host family.
Displaying his characteristic ambition and determination, he set his mind on attending Princeton University for college, despite the fact that no one in the family had attended Ivy League schools. He was admitted and set a high bar for the two other sons, one of whom followed him to Princeton and the other to Harvard. He graduated in 1964, majoring in history, and remained in contact with several of his fellow alums through reunions and travel. Inspired by the spirit of service expressed in John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, he joined one of the early classes of the Peace Corps, serving in Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia, educating math teachers.
Following the Peace Corps, he received a MAT from Harvard and pursued a career teaching high school math in Massachusetts. In the summer of 1967 he went to Greenville, South Carolina, to participate in a program that provided academic training to Black students moving into newly integrated schools. There he met the love of his life, Susan Helden. They married in August 1968.
Soon after, he got a job with General Electric, and this eventually took him and Susan back to Phoenix. He did not stay in the position for long. His father, Charlie, had founded a tire company in 1945 and by 1970, it was struggling. Charlie asked his three sons if any were interested in joining, and eventually taking over, the company, and Claude stepped forward. Although both Mike and Chuck worked at the company for a while, Claude and Susan were the driving force in making it a success, particularly after Charlie’s untimely death in 1983. Claude liked to describe himself as a “simple merchant”; however, he was anything but. He computerized the company at a time when the use of computers in small business was extremely rare, and his attention to detail in controlling costs, developing relationships with customers and suppliers, pricing, and navigating through a difficult competitive environment was exemplary.
Claude and Susan had an extremely loving marriage for fifty-eight years. They had three children. He was an extraordinary father, supportive, witty, and inspiring. He loved to spend time with his children and grandchildren playing cards, discussing history (especially Tudor England), and watching classic movies (favorites included Casablanca and The Sound of Music). He excelled at the Dad joke and loved to make people laugh with his dry sense of humor.
The family took frequent trips to the beach in Mexico and skiing in the winter. Claude and Susan shared a love for travel and visited every continent except Antarctica. They had multiple trips to Europe, including many memorable ones with children and grandchildren.
In 2002, Claude sold the business, retiring at the age of sixty and moving with Susan to Santa Barbara in 2006. He devoted his post-retirement life to public service and philanthropy, with a focus on culture and the arts (especially music) as well as human rights, and organizations that addressed many of society’s most intractable problems, including homelessness. He was instrumental in establishing Social Venture Partners in Santa Barbara after being actively involved in it in Phoenix.
In 2021, he and Susan sold their beloved Santa Barbara home and moved into Casa Dorinda, where they joined several friends and made many wonderful new ones. He immersed himself in competitive duplicate bridge, maintaining an active presence at the Santa Barbara Bridge Club and achieving the rank of Life Master a few years prior to his death.
Claude died peacefully on July 30, 2025, surrounded by family. He leaves his wife Susan, his children Sarah Case, Andrew Case, and Katharine Case, their respective spouses and partners Jay Carlander, Claudia Wilsch Case, and Noel Mauricio Salgado, grandchildren Julia and Katharine Carlander and David and Helen Case, and his brother Chuck Case. His brother Michael Case predeceased him in 2017.
Remembrances can be sent to the Santa Barbara Foundation or Dignity Moves.
