Patrick Joseph McCarty

1951 - 2022

MCCARTY, Patrick Joseph, died Sunday, May 8, 2022. Born September 23, 1951, he was the son of the late Edward J. and June S. McCarty.

Patrick attended St. Bridget Catholic School, followed by Douglas S. Freeman High School. He graduated from Washington & Lee University in 1974 with a degree in Philosophy.

After college, Patrick embarked on a multi-faceted career life centered on his two loves: music and writing. In his teens, he began working for Don Warner Music, where he taught guitar and sold equipment, eventually rising to store manager in his early 20s. A stint at Atlantis Sound followed, fueled his lifelong passion for high-end audio equipment. During this time, Patrick was a popular fixture in the local music scene, performing his own original material with his bands Xanthem, Rokoko and The Toasters.

His career focus later shifted to writing. For years he wrote music criticism for the Richmond News Leader; his weekly column "Altered Takes" ran until the paper folded in 1992. He was Editor of Style Weekly (then Monthly) in its early days, followed by Sales Manager of MX106 FM when it launched in the late 1980s. After leaving radio, Patrick founded his own marketing company, McCarty & Associates. He also created and published Finders Keepers Magazine which, sadly, was a casualty of the Dot.com Bubble crash in 2000.

A Renaissance man, Patrick was: a philosopher, writer, musician, audiophile, music archivist, voracious reader and a gentleman. He loved people and cared deeply for them. He had a dry wit, a wicked sense of humor and loved to laugh. He was a deep thinker. As a boy, he became fascinated with food and cooking. This led to a lifelong passion for good food and a love of entertaining. A man with a generous heart, he liked nothing more than preparing and sharing meals with friends and neighbors.

In 2015, life took a sharp turn when he became so ill that he would need an organ transplant to survive. That November, he received the miracle gift of a new liver and kidney at University of Virginia's Transplant Center. Though the transplant journey was challenging, with many complications, Patrick awoke each morning with a smile on his face and a deep gratitude to be alive. He lived his life with grace and cheer, thankful for the caring expertise of his incredible medical team both in Richmond and at UVA.

Patrick is survived by his beloved wife of 36 years, Cackie (Catherine) Trippe McCarty, whom he met in college in 1974. He also leaves behind his much-loved sister-in-law, Nancy L. Trippe, and his three nieces, Sarah, Charlotte and Sophie; his cousins, Maria Mudd Ruth and Daniel, Jonathan and Matthew Mudd; a sister, Marietta McCarty; and a cadre of close friends and neighbors. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Burial is private.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Patrick's memory to the "Charles O Strickler (14380)" Fund to further transplant research at the University of Virginia by visiting the webpage at.virginia.edu/supportuvahealth. Checks can be made out to "UVA Health Foundation" and mailed to "UVA Health, P.O. Box 37963, Boone, Iowa 50037." Please include "Charles O Strickler (14380)" in the memo line of your check. Or donate to World Central Kitchen at https://wck.org.