Alice F. McCarthy's Obituary
Alice McCarthy (nee Dougherty), a long-time resident of Moorestown, NJ, passed away peacefully at home at age 80 on Friday, September 13, 2019.
She was born Alice Florence Dougherty to the late Thomas and Lucy Dougherty, on June 16, 1939, in Camden, NJ. Alice graduated from Our Lady of Mount Carmel High Business School and went to work in banking.
She met James McCarthy at a dance in Oaklyn when she was 17 years old. He was driving a sweet ’53 Dodge convertible, and she never did forgive him for trading it in. They married on June 21, 1958, and made their home in Moorestown from the start, leaving only briefly in the 1960s before returning to their hometown to stay.
Alice leaves behind her loving husband of 61 years, Jim. She also leaves her five children, Dennis (Linda) McCarthy, Kathy (Steve) Trachtenberg, Jim (Joyce) McCarthy, Mary (Jim) Stefano, and Aileen (Tucker) Cawley. She was incredibly devoted to her twelve grandchildren, Jessica, Alyssa, Ryan, Laura, Julie, Brianna, Kristin, Rachel, Brigid, Katie, Finn, and Claire. She also had a special place in her heart for her great-grandchildren, Peyton, Avery, Liam, Josie, and Nora. A bigger supporter of her family could not be found. Alice is also survived by her sister Betty, her brother Raymond (Carol), and many, many friends. She is predeceased by her parents Lucy and Thomas, her brother Tom, and her sister Theresa.
Alice was a devout Catholic, and her faith was extremely important to her. She read her devotionals and said her rosary faithfully. She attended mass daily until she was unable, and then watched mass through the magic of technology, receiving communion through the kindness of fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Later in life Alice made many great friends through her amputee support group. They provided her and Jim the will to fight continuously to get the most out of life. They inspired her, and she inspired them.
Alice loved the Moorestown Quakers, cheering on two generations of Moorestown athletes. She could be found on the sidelines rooting for her children and grandchildren with glee and affection. She was also a fierce Philadelphia Phillies fan, faithfully watching almost every game and bemoaning the Phillies pitching staff.
Alice was an avid bird lover and spent many hours chronicling their adventures in her backyard. Patiently refilling the variety of feeders, she would try to draw the widest variety to her yard. She would excitedly await the annual arrival of the hummingbirds. Alice often talked of her late mother sending unusual birds to visit her. Her mother and she had the sweetest annual competition over who would see the first robin in the Spring and each would telephone the other when the first robin appeared.
A gathering of family and friends for Alice F. McCarthy will be held at Givnish of Maple Shade, 600 E. Main St., Maple Shade, NJ 08052 on Saturday 9/21/2019 from 9:30-11:30am. Following the visitation a memorial mass will be held at Our Lady of Good Council Catholic Church, 42 W. Main St., Moorestown, NJ 08057 beginning at 12pm. An interment will take place at Mount Carmel Cemetery. To share your fondest memories of Alice please click on our "Tribute Wall" tab. In lieu of flowers please send donations to St. Vincent de Paul Society in Medford NJ by visiting www.svdpusa.org.
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