Jonette Lee McCarthy

Jonette Lee McCarthy, 72 passed away September 28, 2023 in Houston in the loving arms of her daughters, sister and niece. She was born February 28, 1951, in Pittsburg, Texas to Joseph and Maurine Lee. Jonette is preceded in death by her parents, husband Mike of 49 years of marriage, nephew Joshua Lee, brother-in-law Jim Goforth, and sister-in-law Kathy Ashe. She is survived by her daughters Meredith Winczewski (TJ) and Ashley Welscher (Nick), her grandchildren Hunter Winczewski and Madeline Welscher, siblings Brenda Goforth, Bill Lee (Laura) & Mark Lee, nieces and nephews Nicole Goforth, Clint Goforth, Andrew Lee, and James Ashe.
Jonette grew up in a small town in East Texas, where she was a majorette at Mt. Pleasant High School and during her senior year she led the band as drum major. She met Mike McCarthy, the love of her life, when they were sophomores at Texas Tech University. After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a microbiology degree, Jonette moved to Dallas to begin her married life with Mike. She worked for the City of Dallas in their Food Lab testing restaurants until she decided to stay at home and raise their two young daughters, Meredith & Ashley.
Jonette was actively involved in the girls' schools, serving as PTA President at her daughters' high school and received the Lifetime PTA Membership award from the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. She was president of her local Lyceum club & enjoyed many years of membership in her garden club. Once her daughters were grown, she found enjoyment in a second career managing an antique furniture showroom in the Dallas World Trade Center.
Jonette dedicated her life to her family, not only as a wife and mother, but also as a sister, daughter and aunt. She provided love, support and encouragement to her daughters, so they could become accomplished women. She was thrilled to become a grandmother and loved Hunter and Maddie with all her heart.
When she received her Alzheimer's diagnosis, she knew her time was limited. She and Mike moved to Houston to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren in order to make as many special memories in the time she had left.
A funeral service will be held Friday October 6, 2023, at 10:30 AM at Bates-Cooper Sloan Funeral Home, 2805 S. Jefferson Ave, Mt Pleasant, TX 75455. Jonette will be laid to rest immediately following at Monticello Cemetery 225 County Rd. 2630 Mt. Pleasant TX, 75455.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Dance 2 End Alzheimers (Houston Chapter).
We witnessed our grandmother, Meme, succumb to Alzheimer's in 2018. History is repeating itself, with our mom. In 2010, we started noticing odd behavior from our mom. We would call her on our way home from work. Mom wasn't making sense, but we wrote it off as she was tired as she was caring for our grandmother or maybe she had indulged in a glass of wine. Eventually, the signs became undeniable, and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Our parents moved from Dallas to Houston, so we could help our dad take care of her.
According to the Alzheimer's Association in 2023, its estimated that 6.7 million Americans 65 years and older are living with Alzheimer's. This is bigger than the city of Houston, which is the 4th largest city in the United States. It is also estimated that 16 million family members and friends provide care for those with Alzheimer's. Statistics show that 1 in 3 caregivers say their health has gotten worse due to their responsibilities and 25% have delayed taking care of their health. Unexpectedly, our dad, Mike, passed away in May 2023. We believe the emotional and physical stress of being mom's caregiver significantly contributed to our dad's passing.
Anyone who has loved someone with Alzheimer's knows that it's a cruel thief robbing friends and family of their loved one with no cure. Knowing that our mom has the Alzheimer's gene and that we have a chance of inheriting this horrible disease, Dance 2 End Alzheimer's is raising research funds for the Nantz National Alzheimer's Center associated with the Houston Methodist Hospital. Jonette's neurologist was part of this practice; and we are channeling our grief to help find a cure, so that no one has to take the devasting journey of Alzheimer's.