Obituary of Robert Peter McCarthy

Robert P. McCarthy, 83, passed away peacefully on November 28, 2023 at Glen Cove Hospital in Glen Cove, New York, surrounded by his loving family. 

Bob, known earlier in life as “Butch,” was born in Queens, New York on June 10, 1940 to Margaret (née Creagh) and Peter McCarthy, both of whom had emigrated from Ireland.  He grew up in Sunnyside, Queens with his parents and younger sister Margaret (“Pupchen”) whom he loved dearly. 

Butch attended Bishop Loughlin High School, a tuition free, all-scholarship Catholic high school in Brooklyn, New York.  After graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.  He completed basic training at Parris Island and advanced infantry training at Camp LeJeune, going on to serve as a Communicator in the 1^st Battalion, 7^th Marine Regiment, 1^st Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan.   

He married Josephine Brady on October 9, 1965 and they had three children: Peter, Maura and Joyce. 

Bob earned a B.A. in Political Science, with minors in History and Russian, from Hunter College at the City University of New York. 

Bob then joined the U.S. Department of State, where he had a distinguished thirty-year career as a Foreign Service Reserve Officer.  In the first of what would be many moves, Bob and Jo moved their young family to Virginia, where they spent four years.  Bob’s first overseas posting was at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago.  He and the family then moved to San Jose, Costa Rica and then to Quito, Ecuador.  The family then returned stateside before Bob was posted to St. Georges, Grenada and Paramaribo, Suriname.  Bob rounded out his foreign service career at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in New York, and finally the U.S. Embassy in London from 1997 through 2000, when he retired from service.

Bob and Jo continued their frequent foreign travels in retirement, living first in Springs, New York and then in Waretown, NJ.  They loved to spend time and vacation with their three grandchildren: Robert, Angela and Emily. Bob was also an animal lover, and was a devoted pet “Dad” to their Scottish Terriers, McDuff and Bonnie, and later pet “Granddad” to Shadow, Chappy, Clyde, Rolo, Bluebell and Molly. 

Bob was a voracious reader with encyclopedic knowledge of history.  He was a great raconteur who was loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed at cocktail parties everywhere. 

Bob is survived by his loving wife, Jo, his children Peter (Fran), Maura and Joyce, his grandchildren Robert, Angela and Emily, his sister Pupchen, and several nieces and nephews. 

A funeral mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Church, 235 Glen Street, Glen Cove, NY 11542 at 10am on Saturday, December 2, 2023, to be followed by burial at St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries, 2015 Wellwood Ave., Farmingdale, NY 11735.

For those who wish to make memorial donations, the family suggests the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Click here, MD Anderson Cancer Center Click Here or a charity of your choice.