Jefferson Brian McCarthy, 1941-2010, R.I.P.

Today when I went to look in on my brother, Jeff, I found that he had passed away overnight. Jeff had suffered from a number of physical illnesses along with some other problems, so we moved him up here from South Florida a few months ago. He stayed with us for a while, until we found him a place of his own just a few miles away. I'd stop by every day or two to make sure he was OK, and he'd join Diane and me every Thursday as a volunteer at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. He also attended Mass with us at our parish and seemed to be doing rather well. Indeed, on Monday evening my son-in-law, who had been visiting with us, and I picked Jeff up and shared a wonderful dinner with him at a local steak house. Even though he looked tired, Jeff was in remarkably good spirits and truly enjoyed his time with us. When we dropped him off at his place, there were hugs all around...a fine end to a nice evening. I suspect he died that night sometime, probably in his sleep. (I took this above photo of him about a month ago.)

He was a wonderful brother and a generous, intelligent and loving man. A man of faith and strong beliefs, he expressed his opinions openly and firmly. You never had to guess what he felt or believed. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (class of 1962), he served in Vietnam as a company commander, where he earned a Bronze Star. He had a gift for learning languages and spoke French and Spanish fluently, an ability that served him well during his assignments with NATO in France and with the Military Assistance Group in Paraguay. He also earned his masters degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona. After leaving the Army, he joined Motorola where he spent a productive career in semiconductor sales and marketing in Florida and Latin America.

Estranged from his wife, Elena, for some years now, he is survived as well by two sons, Marshall and Brian, and two daughters, Maria and Ileana. I am Jeff's only sibling.

Diane and I and the entire family will miss him terribly, and entrust his soul to the care of his loving and merciful Father. Rest is peace, Jeff. You will remain always in our prayers.