The Rev. Dr. Eugene McCarthy passed away at home surrounded by his family after a many years long journey with Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by his loving wife Joan (Simmons) McCarthy; his daughters Sarah B. Caron and Karen L. McCarthy; his son-in-law Doug M. Caron; grandsons Matthew and Scott; and his two brothers Dr. David A. McCarthy and wife Susan, and Kevin C. McCarthy and partner Robin C. Marrotte.
Gene was the oldest of 4 children. He grew up in Middlesex County, CT. He loved spending his summers at Silver Lake Conference Center, where he was better known on the summer staff as “Digger”. He received his undergraduate degree from Bethany College in West Virginia before going on to receive a Masters’ degree from Drew University in New Jersey, and a Doctorate in Ministry from Andover Newton Theological School.
Gene began his career serving as the pastor at First Congregational Church of Griswold, and United Church of Christ in Pachaug, CT. While serving there he met his loving wife, Joan (Simmons) McCarthy, who later became one of his primary caregivers. They went on to raise two daughters, Sarah B. Caron and Karen L. McCarthy together, who also provided primary caregiving support.
After serving as a pastor in a few other churches in northeast CT, Gene transitioned to providing pastoral counseling for a time before ultimately spending the majority of his career working as a therapist assisting those with mental health and substance use disorder. He spent the last 15 years of his career working for Natchaug Hospital at their Care Plus location in Groton, CT in the intensive outpatient & partial hospitalization programs.
Gene started each morning with a full pot of coffee. In his daughters’ younger years, he would end the day by animatedly telling them a Willy Woo Woo bed time story, which he based on his experiences as a volunteer firefighter & chaplain for the Griswold Volunteer Fire Department. He was an avid reader and bicyclist, who thoroughly enjoyed his Saturday morning rides with the Thread City Cyclers, often riding 50 miles at a time.
A public memorial service will be held at Somers Congregational Church, UCC on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers the family asks you kindly consider donating to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Connecticut (NAMI Connecticut) by mail at 1030 New Britain Avenue, Suite 201 West Hartford, CT 06110 or online at www.namict.org.
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