McCarty, John William -- 1929 - 1999

MCCARTY, GRINDELAND

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 7/2/2010 at 09:36:23

Decorah Journal, Thursday, April 22, 1999

John William McCarty

John William McCarty, 69, of Decorah, died at his home Thursday, April 15, 1999.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 22, at 11 a.m., at First Lutheran Church in Decorah.

The Rev. Steven Jacobsen, the Rev. Tom Miller, and the Bishop John Kinney of the Diocese of St. Cloud will officiate. The Rev. Marion Miller will be the organist.

Casket bearers will be Gary McCarty, James McCarty, Gary Grindeland, Eric Grindeland, Jeffery McCarty and Becci McCarty.

Honorary bearers will be John's fishing buddies, Burl Downing, Lenny Graves, Grover Hedemann, Fred Holland, Dave Tierney and Norb Tierney.

Interment with full military rites by Bernatz-Symonds American Legion Post No. 163 and Helof-Holm V.F.W. Post No. 1977 will be held at the Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah. The Fjelstul Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

John was born Sept. 29, 1929, at the family farm north of Winthrop, the son of Dale and Nellie McCarty. He received his education in the Independence schools. After graduation from high school, he served in the United States Navy.

He married Janann Grindeland July 19, 1958, and to this union four sons were born: Jeffrey, Dale, Daniel and Michael. He also had a son John William II, and a daughter, Rebecca Darlene, from a former marriage.

With his boys, John was quite active in the Decorah Kilties, Boy Scouts and the Norski Hill.

He also was active in civic affairs, serving two years on the City Council and two terms on the Park and Rec Board. John held state-level office in the American Legion and was an adjutant and commander in the Decorah Lodge No. 443. He was active in the Elks Lodge, going through all the chairs, and was past Exalted Ruler, receiving numerous awards at the state and national levels.

John was a devoted member of First Lutheran Church, serving on the Church Council and the church staff.

Before moving to Decorah, John worked as an electrician for Bud Freeman of Freeman Electric in Independence.

John served as a police officer for the Decorah Police Force. He also helped to organize and worked for the Decorah Ambulance Service.

John was part owner of the J & E Cable Co., and after retiring, he became active in helping at the Fjelstul Funeral Home.

Survivors include his wife, Janann; four sons, Jeffrey Michael and Barbara McCarty of Phoenix, Ariz., Dale William and Joleen McCarty of Indianapolis, Ind., Daniel Harry and Maria McCarty of Peoria, Ariz., and Michael John and Shari McCarty, serving in the United States Navy at Jacksonville, Fla.; one daughter, Rebecca Darlene of Albuquerque, N.M.; two grandsons, Nicholas and Jacob; a brother, Robert M. and Mary McCarty of Oelwein; and several nieces and nephews.

John McCarty was preceded in death by a son, John William II; his parents; and a brother, Richard.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.