Obituary of George Francis McCarthy

IN MEMORY OF GEORGE FRANCIS MCCARTHY Lt.Col./Ret USAF George Francis McCarthy, 91, of Sterling, Virginia, since 2013, formerly of Richmond, Virginia, passed away on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. George was born on December 12, 1924, in Jersey City, NJ, the first of two sons to the late Mary Barbara "Mae" McCarthy and the late George A. McCarthy. His brother, Richard D. McCarthy, currently lives in New Hampshire. George graduated from Dickinson High School then attended Newark State Teacher's College, NJ, where he obtained his B.S. in Industrial Arts Education. In 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and became a commissioned pilot and an instructor pilot. In 1948 he taught Industrial Arts for the Jersey City Public School System. He also worked for a private contractor in the building trades while he attended Seton Hall University, NJ, earning his M.A. in Public School Administration/Supervision in 1951. In 1951 George was recalled to active military duty and served as a Squadron Officer's Course instructor for the Air University in Montgomery, AL. George's next tour of duty was served as a squadron pilot, flight commander and personnel officer in Ashyia Japan. In 1957 George was assigned as an Assistant Professor and Director of Education and Training for the U.S. Air Force ROTC program at Rutgers University, NJ. George became the Director of Curriculum for the U.S. Air Force Technical Training Center at Lackland AFB in Texas in 1960. In 1963 George flew 95 combat missions as a C-123 pilot out of the Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam. Upon his return in 1964, George was assigned to USAF HDQTRS in Washington, D.C. at the Pentagon and afterwards USAF HDQTRS Europe at Lindsey AS in Germany, where he directed, managed, and planned operations in air defense, personnel and air lift. In 1971 he served as Senior Weapons Director for the Air Defense Squadron at Fort Lee AFS, VA. After retiring from his distinguished 32-year career in the Air Force, George served as the Director of Vocational Education for Prince George, Dinwiddie, and Sussex Counties in VA from 1974 to 1979. George married his beloved wife of 67 years, the late Rose Marie McCarthy, on Sunday, June 20, 1948, at St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Jersey City, NJ. Rose and George have five children George McCarthy, Jr. (wife Jane) of Montgomery, Alabama; Daniel McCarthy (wife Lynda) and Mary Jane LeHew (husband Steven) of Sterling, Virginia; Maureen McCarthy Noe (husband Chip) of Midlothian, Virginia; and Michael McCarthy (wife Cindy) of Palmer, Alaska; nine grandchildren Christopher McCarthy, Jonathan McCarthy, Megan McCarthy, Danielle Gladis, Jennifer Blair, Lauren Carr, Steven LeHew, Kelly Rose McCarthy and Kevin McCarthy; and seven great grandchildren Greyson McCarthy, Cooper and Maelyn Hedrick, Wyatt and Wesley Blair, Gwyneth Carr and Kacie LeHew. George was a man of many talents and approached everything he did with faith, hope, love, and charity. Whether he was serving the Lord, providing for and raising his family, being a grandparent and great grandparent, protecting his country, diligently working, teaching, being a friend, fishing, gardening, designing and crafting in his wood workshop, or volunteering in so many capacities, George will be remembered as an intelligent, respected, honest, serious, and sentimental individual with a pure heart and a genuine concern for others. He was so proud of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and took a great interest in their lives. George never hesitated to express how blessed we were as a family and how grateful he was for our health and wellbeing...so much so that it always brought him to tears when he spoke of it. He will be greatly missed by so many of the individual lives he touched and influenced. The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, at Adams Green Funeral Home, in Herndon, Virginia. A brief Catholic blessing will begin at 5 p.m. to approx. 5:15 p.m. for those who wish to attend. A funeral service with full Air Force Military Honors will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on March 31, 2017 at 8:45 a.m. to begin at the Old Post Chapel on Fort Myer Base. All individuals wishing to attend will be required to provide a photo ID to gain access to the Fort Myer Base. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider a memorial donation specifically to Little Sisters of the Poor Richmond. A check made payable to Little Sisters of the Poor Richmond can be mailed to: Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Joseph's Home 1503 Michaels Road Henrico, VA 23229 Getting to Know George F. McCarthy God and family ranked first among the most important things in life to George! He was a devoted Catholic Christian who dedicated all of his time, outside of his work, to his wife, five children and their families. He was always one to seek out activities that were constructive and purposeful during his days. He was an early morning riser, always read the newspaper cover to cover, worked his hardest during the day, then early to bed after spending relaxing time in his workshop, or having a cocktail, a good dinner, and watching the evening news! George Francis McCarthy born on December 12, 1924, in Jersey City, New Jersey, married his beloved wife Rose Marie Gilvey on Sunday, June 20, 1948, at St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Jersey City, New Jersey. They were inseparable...Rose Marie McCarthy recently died on Tuesday, December 29, 2015. George and Rose were married for 67 years and have five children--three sons and two daughters; (from oldest to youngest)...George, McCarthy Jr. (wife Jane) of Montgomery, AL; Daniel McCarthy (wife Lynda) of Sterling, VA; Mary Jane LeHew (husband Steve) of Sterling VA; Maureen McCarthy Noe (husband Chip) of Midlothian, VA; and Michael McCarthy (wife Cindy) of Palmer, AK. George and Rose have nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren; (born of oldest child to youngest)...Christopher McCarthy and Jonathan McCarthy (wife Amy, daughter Greyson); Megan McCarthy (husband Chuck Hedrick, son Cooper and daughter Maelyn); Danielle Gladis (husband Luke); Jennifer Blair (husband Sean and sons Wyatt and Wesley); Lauren Carr (husband Nick and daughter Gwyneth); Steven LeHew (wife Karen and daughter Kacie); Kelly Rose McCarthy and Kevin McCarthy. George's fathers' name is also George and his mother's name is Mary Barbara "Mae." His father developed rheumatoid arthritis in his 40's and eventually was confined to a wheel chair and later died of complications. His mother lived to be 98. George has only one younger brother, Richard, who also served in the Air Force and who currently lives in New Hampshire. George's father served in the Army during WWI and was later a career police officer in New Jersey. His mother worked as a corporate chef and housewife. George also lived in Beachwood, New Jersey, near Toms River. We visited in Beachwood as a family during many summers...we fished, swam, gardened, crocheted, knitted, cooked, played cards, played bingo and visited with other relatives....just to name some of the activities we loved and hold dear in our hearts. George taught high school industrial arts prior to his military career. He was a very talented carpenter and handyman. George always thought it was very important for everyone to possess a marketable skill. He designed and constructed tables, cabinets, hutches, desks, outdoor decks, stools, folk art pieces and many other things for he and mom, his children, as well as his grandchildren. He possessed a true passion for woodworking and could fix and build anything! He always had a large workshop with a variety of tools that he meticulously used as he creatively planned, designed and constructed projects throughout the years. His children's families enjoy his handmade treasures and use many of his tools now. George proudly served his country as a career Air Force officer and pilot. The Air Force allowed his family to live in so many places including Montgomery, Alabama; Ashiya, Japan; San Antonio, Texas; Wiesbaden, Germany; and Colonial Heights, Virginia, and gave us the privileged opportunity to visit and experience many countries and cultures. George is also a WWII and Vietnam Veteran. He always loved flying! When not on a mission, he said he used to love piloting the planes through the clouds breaking them up on fair weather days. When he returned home from flying, he would always remember to bring home to his children the left over flight lunches in little white boxes that contained all kinds of goodies...he knew we enjoyed them so much! George always enjoyed sitting outside to watch airplanes fly over on a nice day. He absolutely LOVED the sound of aircraft! When asked what his favorite fragrance was, his reply, without hesitation, was "jet fuel!" Over the years, George put together many model airplanes and donated a good deal of them to the Air University in Montgomery, Alabama, where they are on display. His children, grandchildren, and the neighboring children in Richmond, now enjoy some of his other model planes. He was a member of the Order of Daedalians, a fraternal order of pilots, during his military career and remained active through retirement. George was also an active member of The Retired Officer's Association (TROA) and spearheaded the establishment and renovation of a meeting lodge on land that was donated to the local association near Colonial Heights, Virginia. The building was affectionately named by the TROA members as "The Barn," because that is exactly what the structure was previously...a barn! They even painted it red! After he retired from the Air Force, George worked as Director of Vocational Education for Dinwiddie, Sussex, and Prince George counties in Virginia. He oversaw the planning, design, and construction of Rowanty Vocational Technical Center. How appropriate for George to end his working career with a job that reflected and complimented his love for education and skill. George loved to garden and work in his yard. He surely acquired these skills from his parents who harvested and preserved their own seeds and planted a vegetable garden every year to include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables. No matter where we lived, George always tried to plant a garden of at least tomatoes and peppers in the ground or in patio planters. To this day, all of his children and many of his grandchildren do the same! George has always loved and respected animals since he was a child. Dad always made sure we at least had the smaller critters to love on...hamsters, mice, birds, or fish...each possessing life spans that fit nicely into the military moving plan. Though we didn't own many larger animals in our family due to our travels, his children and grandchildren, however, have certainly made up for that now...and George always enjoyed his family's animals when visiting. George also loved to fish. When we visited his parents in Beachwood, NJ, we would walk to the end of the street and throw in our poles and watch pensively as our bobbins wobbled and went under with a fish on our hooks. Dad taught us how to clean and scale our catch and his mother, Mae, would cook them up for dinner! In Virginia, George had a small fishing boat that we used to take to the lake as a family where we would catch mostly catfish, bass, and sunfish. There would usually be some sort of camp fire in the evening that included roasted marshmallows or the makings of your own "smore's!" We went to the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina during many summer vacations with family and fished right on the beach each morning and evening. Many of the fish we caught in the ocean were catfish and whiting kingfish and perch. We would then clean and prepare our fish for the evening dinner along with other goodies mom and others in the family had prepared. George volunteered many hours to the boy scouts while his children were growing up. With the help of a wonderful scout leader named Otto Strauss, he taught his sons how to hunt and properly fire and care for a rifle. His oldest daughter was also lucky to learn how to fire a rifle. His youngest daughter was instructed on a pellet gun. Dad found much joy when taking his sons hunting on weekends during the peak of the season. The boys always had a fondness for the flavor of venison, but Dad could not convince the girls that it really tasted like chicken after all! George has two sons that are Eagle scouts and one that reached the rank of Life scout. He volunteered many hours to the church throughout his life and worked with the catechumen program to prepare and guide individuals and couples as they went through the process of converting to the Catholic faith. We can remember dad always making sure meatloaf and brownies were made for Freedom House for the poor or for other local family shelters. He made the meatloaf and mom made the brownies! For many years, he faithfully cut out wooden crafts for the Little Sisters of the Poor so they could paint and sell them at their annual Christmas Sale to raise money. Rose, his wife, was always there to help him with decorating ideas and support. They both enjoyed working on projects together whenever they could. He believed there is always a better way of doing things and believed one should always trust unless given a reason not to...and so influenced his children...and can take credit for their good work ethic. George loved listening to music and singing along to the good ole romantic and big band songs of the past. It brought him much joy. He also enjoyed watching an occasional game of football as well as eating a good ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of ice cream with a cookie for dessert with a hot cup of decaf coffee! George has always been a kind and faithful servant of the Lord and would always help anyone that he could. The greatest gift he gave to his children was our introduction to Jesus Christ our Lord and his dutiful persistence in making sure each of us received religious education and that we faithfully fulfilled the requirements of holy sacraments in a timely manner. With dementia/Alzheimer's George lost much of his memory, but the Lord showed great Mercy and never let George forget one word of his prayers. Christ stood beside him until his last breath and then walked beside him home through the gates of pearl onto the golden streets of the Kingdom of Heaven. We love you Dad and thank the Lord that you were our father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great grandfather. We know you and mom will watch over us until we see you again... George and Rose McCarthy together again...