Obituary of John McCarthy

BRUNSWICK – John McCarthy, 66, of Brunswick, entered into rest at Samaritan Hospital on April 26, 2023, after a long battle with Stage IV Kidney Cancer. The son of the late John and Agnes T. McCarthy, John was born on October 13, 1956, in Cohoes. John was raised in Latham, NY. He has resided in New Jersey and several places in Upstate NY including Herkimer, Amsterdam, and Cohoes, before settling in Brunswick where he lived for 33 years until his passing. Mr. McCarthy received his education from Shaker High School in Latham and SUNY Maritime College in The Bronx NY. His first job out of college was as an engineer at Foster Wheeler Boiler Corporation in New Jersey. He transitioned to sales and held numerous positions over the years, culminating in a career with MapInfo (later Pitney Bowes) where he finished as Director of Sales. After leaving Pitney Bowes he decided to become an entrepreneur and together with his wife JoAnn purchased a BungoBox franchise. They operated this business together for 10 years. As a child, John was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and enjoyed a sponsored trip to Japan. Mr. McCarthy served on the vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church in Lansingburgh and his most recent hobby brought him to join The Taconic Valley Rod & Gun Club where he enjoyed spending hours sighting his scope on his .22. In the past two years he spent many hours with his wife going to garage and estate sales. John’s proudest achievement was his family. He was a natural protector and provider. He loved his wife JoAnn, his daughters Tess and Meagan, his niece Catherine, and his nephews Josh, Dusty and William. When Dave and Liam joined the family, he welcomed them and grew to love them as his own sons. We called him “Mr. Safety.” as he always ensured we were prepared for everything from a power outage (a flashlight in every room) to a flat tire in a snowstorm (don’t forget your dungarees!) He loved fishing and enjoyed teaching his girls how to bait a hook. There were many fishing trips including ocean fishing in Maine, bass fishing and midnight bullhead fishing on Ballston Lake. He loved to putter around the house fixing things, and when he ran out of things in the house to fix, he went to his daughters’ houses looking for work. He especially enjoyed teaching Dave and Liam everything he knew about home improvement. He valued doing things “the right way.” and spared no expense of time or energy to make every job perfect. When he wasn’t helping at their houses he was collecting and fixing snow blowers, lawn mowers, and grills out of the home garage. Everyone in the family has at least one machine that was fixed up by John. He had a mischievous side and loved to tease people, but his only goal was to keep everyone laughing and happy. His good humor and generosity were unrivaled. He wanted to make people feel special and he was a reliable person to ask for help whenever you needed it. He enjoyed making connections with everyone he met, especially his many doctors, nurses, the pharmacists at Wal-Mart, and the clerk at the post office. He had an iconic and infectious laugh. Survivors include his beloved wife of 43 years, JoAnn McCarthy, whom he married on October 4, 1980, in Brunswick, NY. Loving father of Tess McCarthy (David Rudnick), Meagan McCarthy (Liam Young). Dearest brother of: Lynne McCarthy Lapham (Douglas Lapham) and Kevin McCarthy. Dearest nephew of: Uncle Frank McCarthy. Cherished uncle to his nephews Josh and Dustin Clapham, his niece Catherine and his nephew William Lapham. John is also survived by one sister-in-law Denise Clapham. Her husband Bill Clapham passed away recently, just two weeks ago and he was a dear friend and "partner-in-crime" of John's. Beloved Grandpets: Winston, Cheddar, Zelda, Mabel, and Alfie also survive. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased in death by many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of the family. The McCarthy Family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to the following: The entire staff at Samaritan Hospital and the Progressive Care Team, especially Dr. Adams Stallmer and Dr. Scott Morris. The entire medical staff at NYOH, especially Dr. Rahul Ravilla and Dr. Tia Olds and Nurse Kim Leach. Cremation has taken place through the care of Simple Choices, Inc. A Memorial Service will be held at 9:30AM on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Albany, located at: 21 Hackett Boulevard, Albany, NY 12208. A reception with refreshments will follow the service on campus in McEwan Hall from 10:15-11:30AM. John's daughter Tess and son-in-law Dave have been members of Saint Paul's Church Choir for over a decade. John loved to listen to recordings of their choir. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Music at Saint Paul's c/o Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, 21 Hackett Boulevard, Albany, NY 12208. Fond Memories and Expressions of Sympathy may be shared with the McCarthy Family, online at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com