John L. McCarthy

1929 - 2016

McCARTHY, John L. John L. McCarthy passed away in Dallas, TX on January 11, 2016. After a long illness, he died peacefully at home in his sleep. Devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, he was born to John L., Sr. and Alecia Eleanor Crowell McCarthy in New Haven, CT on August 13, 1929. Then John and his parents with younger sister Alecia moved to Miami, Florida in 1933 where John attended the Sts. Peter and Paul and Gesu schools. He enrolled at the University of Miami and graduated with a B.S. degree in Chemistry. Then he enrolled in graduate programs at Purdue University, earning a Master's degree in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. It was at Purdue University that he met the love of his life, Mickey (Muriel) Quest of Chicago, IL. They went dancing on their first date. They were wed at St. Thomas Aquinas' Chapel in West Lafayette, Indiana on June 2, 1955. After completing his doctorate degree, he accepted a position at SMU and joined the faculty in Biological Sciences. Dallas became their permanent home, where they welcomed a daughter, Mary Katherine, and a son, Michael John, who greatly enriched their lives. John enjoyed both teaching and research at SMU. He was also privileged to participate in collaborative research with colleagues in biochemistry at the UT Southwestern Medical School, where for many years he held an adjunct faculty appointment. He and his wife loved to travel and began a lifelong experience as campers as soon as the children could walk, later introducing this pleasure to their grandchildren. Sabbatical leaves from SMU enabled them to live briefly in Scotland and Spain, adopting regional customs that led to their hosting Robert Burns parties and Spanish dinners back in Dallas. He is survived by his wife Mickey, daughter Mary and husband Francisco, son Michael, and grandchildren: Johnny, Michael, Cristina, Arya, and great granddaughter Claudia, and nieces and nephews in California. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Catholic Charities or a local food bank. The visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. A rosary will be prayed at Christ the King Church located at 8017 Preston Road in Dallas at 12:30pm on Saturday, January 16th. The Funeral Mass will follow at 1:00pm. Msgr. Zimmerman will preside.