Dr Roy Lynn McCasland

   Cause of his death was cancer.

  General Notes:

Roy Lynn McCasland, PH.D
Roy Lynn McCasland, formerly of Grand Prairie, Texas, passed away Wednesday, December 9, 2020, in the village of Errol, Scotland, after a months-long battle with cancer. He had been living in Scotland since 2002. The service will take place at the Errol Parish Church on December 22, 2020, and he will be buried in nearby Murie Cemetery.

Roy was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, on November 7, 1954, to Elroy McCasland and L. Virginia Owens McCasland. The family lived in Orla, Texas (Reeves County) at that time. After an early childhood spent mostly in western Texas and eastern New Mexico, the family settled in Grand Prairie in 1965. There Roy graduated from Grand Prairie High School as Salutatorian in 1972.

He continued his education at the University of Texas at Arlington, culminating in a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1983. Roy taught mathematics for several years at what was then called Lee Junior High in Grand Prairie. After completing his Ph.D., he taught as an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University for one year before joining the faculty at the University of Dallas.

In the early 1990's, Roy began collaborating on a paper with Dr. Patrick Smith of Glasgow, Scot- land. A strong friendship grew from that collaboration, leading Roy to his first trip to Scotland. He immediately fell in love with the land of his McCasland ancestors. He spent almost 10 years traveling there every summer and spent a year's sabbatical there, also. In 2002, he left the University of Dallas and began working at the University of Glasgow. This led to a research position on Automated Mathematical Theory at the University of Edinburgh's School of Information, where he stayed for almost ten years. Roy authored or co-authored over 30 articles, mostly on his chosen branch of mathematics - Abstract Algebra: Ring and Module Theory - collaborating with other mathematicians from many different countries. He enjoyed traveling to conferences in the United States and Europe, and visiting with fellow mathematicians. He retired in 2017.

Besides mathematics, Roy's life was best defined by three things: music, antiques, and his faith. While still in high school, Roy decided to teach himself to play the guitar. With helpful mentoring from some friends, he did just that. He spent many years playing and singing with his life-long friend, Rev. Max Brennan, performing at many churches around the Dallas-Fort Worth area over a 30-year period. In Scotland, he participated in the local Perth community choir for several years and restarted the Errol Parish Church choir, serving as the director. He loved selecting interesting pieces for the choir to perform.

Roy always loved antique furniture and old houses, and while living in Edinburgh, he searched the surrounding country for a suit- able house to buy. He fell in love with Gray House, School Wynd, in the village of Errol, about an hour north of Edinburgh. Gray House was built circa 1800, and Roy devoted much time, effort, and money to restoring it as much as possible to its original look and condition. He also delighted in choosing just the right piece of antique furniture or just the right shade of paint to go with the house.

Roy's faith was arguably the most important part of his life. Raised from birth as a Methodist, Roy was active in church throughout his life, converting to the Church of Scotland after he moved there. In Errol, Roy became very active in the Errol Parish Church, serving as an Elder and leading the Worship Committee for a number of years. In 2000, he self-published a book "To Better Know God: A Mathematician's Quest." He actively spent his life listening to God and trying to do what he thought God wanted him to do.

Roy was preceded in death by his parents, Elroy and Virginia McCasland, and by one nephew, Reece McCasland. He is survived by his three siblings and their spouses: Loretta and Jackie Adams of Center City, Texas; James McCasland, Ph.D. and Margaret Maim- one, Ph.D., of Tully, New York; and Diana and Roy Mullin of Center City, Texas; also by one niece and five nephews: Darrell and Mark Adams, of Center City and Stephenville, respectively; Connor and Kellen McCasland of Tully, New York; and Katherine and Patrick Mullin of Austin.

Although the burial will be in Scotland, the family will be placing a memorial stone at Center City Cemetery, where Roy's parents and many other ancestors are buried. A local memorial service will be held at some time in the future. ¹