JOHN MCCARTHY

1928 - 2019

JOHN MCCARTHY John Charles McCarthy, 90, passed away at his home April 3, 2019. John was born in 1928, to Dennis and Elizabeth McCarthy, in the small mining town of McGill, Nevada. John was the youngest of four siblings, Gerald, Catherine, Nellie and Margaret. He became an altar boy at the local Catholic Church and learned to play the clarinet at a very early age. John attended White Pine High School, where he excelled in multiple sports and set various records in track and field. He left McGill in 1947 to pursue a career in professional baseball. While pitching a game for The Las Vegas Wranglers in 1948, he met a girl, Annette, and would later become his wife. In 1951, John quit baseball, married the little girl he met at the ballpark and began what would become a 40 year long career with Nevada Power Company. In 1954, he and Annette had their first son, Dennis. That same year, John was drafted by the U.S. Army and spent two years in Japan. After completing military service in 1956, John returned to Nevada Power, where in 1957, they had their second son, Kevin. John took leave from Nevada Power to attend Utah State College, where he earned a degree in Industrial Management. He returned to Nevada Power in 1961 and would later become instrumental in the design and completion of The Pearson Building. He drafted the architecture and masterminded many of the policies and programs currently in place there today. John and Annette moved to Elko, Nevada in 1969, where he managed the various property and facilities owned and operated by Nevada Power. He became a principal in many of the local organizations and an influential and well respected member of the community. This was a cherished period in their lives. They returned to Las Vegas in 1976, where he remained with Nevada Power working tirelessly to provide his family a comfortable living and to insure they wanted for nothing. John retired from Nevada Power in 1991 as its Executive Vice President where he was liked by most and respected by all. John and Annette spent the next few years traveling. Subsequent years were spent at their cabin at Elk Ridge in Utah. This became their second home until recently when health issues prevented him from going. John is survived by his wife, of 68 years, Annette, who provided the encouragement, stability and who in large part was responsible for who he was; son and daughter-in-law, Dennis and Debbie; son, Kevin; two grandsons, Ryan and Aaron all of whom he was extremely proud of and loved deeply; two great- grandchildren, Wyatt and Ryleigh, who referred to him as "Bepaw," the lights of his life; and a host of nieces and nephews. John was a provider, mentor, loving father, grandfather and great grandfather and a pillar of stability who led by example. With his passing we are losing yet another of the few remarkable people of his era and a hero in ours. He will be sorely missed. Services are private and reserved for the immediate family.