Edward Joseph McCarthy

Edward McCarthy passed away peacefully on October 23, 2023, in Santa Rosa, CA, at the age of 93.

Ed was a loving father, a devoted family man and one who never lost his sense of humor.

 He will be remembered for his gift of storytelling. He always had a love of music with a song in his heart and dance in his step.

Ed was born at home in Chicago to Irish immigrants, Catherine O’Riordan and Charles McCarthy on June 2, 1930.

Preceded in death by his devoted wife Caroline of 46 years and his dear sister Loretta McCarthy Free. Survived by his beloved children, Mary Kay Post (Shawn) of Chicago, Margaret McCarthy of Connecticut, Carolyn Withers (John) of Santa Rosa, and Eddie McCarthy (Valentina) of California, his loving girlfriend of 20 years Elma Cerchi, 12 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 7 nieces and nephews.

During Ed’s childhood his father worked for the Chicago railroad. As an added benefit Ed would acquire stray dogs his father picked up along the rail lines. This began his lifelong love of dogs.

Ed was known as the fastest kid on the block. He could outrun the dog catcher with a puppy under each arm, sneak into the cinema and be home in time for dinner with the glow of an angel upon his face.

 Edward graduated from DePaul University with a BA in Economics.

After graduation, he proudly served in the US Army in Korea from 1953-1955. His duties included driving a 2.5-ton cargo truck transporting Howitzer artillery through the mountain sides at night. During the day he managed the Officers Club.

Upon his return to the States, he married his college sweetheart Caroline.

He worked as an insurance underwriter for 40 years in Chicago and in California.

Ed was fortunate enough to travel the world. He recalled one of the best trips he ever took was to Ireland to meet and celebrate with all his Irish relatives and visit the McCarthy family farm.

Ed found solace and strength in his faith and was an active member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He participated as a reader and eucharistic minister. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul for many years.

The family would like to express our thanks to the community of Ivy Park of Santa Rosa for their dedication, compassion and respect that was felt every day.

 He leaves behind a legacy of love and kindness that will continue to inspire all those who were fortunate enough to know him.

We will miss his sparkling blue Irish eyes.

A private ceremony will be held to celebrate Ed’s life and honor his memory at a later date.

The family kindly requests any donations be made to a charity of your choice in Ed’s name.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edward Joseph McCarthy, please visit our floral store.