Katherine Joyce "Minnie" McCarron

Katherine "Minnie" McCarron passed quietly from this life in the early hours of February 9, 2026, at East Jefferson General Hospital (LCMC) in Metairie. She was ninety years old, just shy of her ninety-first birthday, which would have dawned on Mardi Gras Day as if the city she loved had meant to carry her home with the sound of marching bands and cries of joy.

Born February 17, 1935, in New Orleans, Minnie was the cherished daughter of August Paul Landry and Katherine Claas Landry, both of whom preceded her in death. She is survived by her brothers, Charles A. Landry, Sr. of Amite, and Thomas J. Landry of Lacombe. She was the devoted wife of Charles "Mac" Murray McCarron, Sr., who died in 1995, and the loving mother of her son, Charles "Chuck" McCarron, Jr., who passed in 1979, losses she bore with a quiet steadiness that marked her life. She leaves behind her beloved daughter, Katherine "Kat" Brown of Metairie; her special daughter-in-law, Carolyn Ostendorf; her grandsons, Christopher Charles Brown of Los Angeles and Matthew Ostendorf of Cincinnati; her granddaughter-in-law, Ashley Charbonnet-Brown; and her "greatest" great-granddaughter, Amabelle Story Charbonnet Brown; and her constant pet companion, Smokey Brown. Within them, there is no doubt that her spirit will linger.

Minnie was raised in the Lower Garden District on Soniat Street, where the shade from the city's oaks and sound of its street car formed her earliest memories. She attended Eleanor McMain Secondary School and later Loyola University New Orleans, leaving her studies to begin work as a Medical Research Technologist at Tulane Medical Center. What began as opportunity became vocation. For thirty-eight years she devoted herself to scientific inquiry, bringing to her work a disciplined mind and a sincere wonder for how the world is ordered and understood. In time, she turned her talents to a second chapter, working in the security industry at Security Supply, Inc. and later at Security Pro Warehouse in Metairie alongside her daughter and beloved son-in-law, Michael R. Brown, who passed away in 2018. There was satisfaction for her in shared labor, in being useful, in standing shoulder to shoulder with family.

Minnie possessed an integrity that was steady and unadorned. She delighted in intelligent conversation and the exchange of ideas. She gathered her kin with the same devotion, organizing the McCarron family reunion in the 1990s so that scattered branches might again know their roots. Her love for New Orleans was steadfast and particular, and no season stirred her more than Carnival, with its pageantry and promise of renewal. A faithful parishioner of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church, she served many years as president of the Hilltoppers; and of the Parish Council; and also gave her time to the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and the Tulane University Women's Association. In 2004, she received the St. Louis Award in recognition of her devoted service to her parish community.

A visitation will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 p.m. at St. Edward The Confessor Catholic Church at 4921 W. Metairie, Ave. Metairie, LA 70001. A reception will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the Garden of Memories Funeral Home Hospitality Room at 4900 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA 70001.

In the hush that follows her passing, there remains the measure of a life lived with discipline and tenderness, with curiosity and faith. Like the city she loved, Minnie endured, celebrated, and gathered her people close. And like Mardi Gras morning, she leaves behind both ache and brightness.

To order flowers or offer condolences, please visit www.gardenofmemoriesmetairie.com.