Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

Thomas “Tom” McCarthy, Sr., 88, died peacefully in Christ on Friday, August 30, 2024 at his home surrounded by his loving family.

Tom was a devoted husband, brother, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, to his loving wife of 64 years, Catherine, his six children, his children in-law, 23 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren.

Tom was born on April 29, 1936 in Mount Vernon, NY, the second of three children of the late Patrick Joseph and Catherine Jane McCarthy. From the age of five, Tom, his brother, Vincent and his sister, Mary were raised by their mother, who instilled in Tom a strong sense of independence, resilience and eternal optimism.  From the earliest age, he contributed to the survival of his family – working as many as three jobs simultaneously through elementary, middle and high school.  This strong work ethic lasted throughout his entire life. 

Tom proved to be an outstanding student, and was president and valedictorian of his graduating class of 1955 from Edison Technical High School. Following high school, he was accepted into the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, and during his freshman year received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy.  He arrived in Annapolis in 1956 and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1960, as the first person in his family to earn a college degree.  

Tom was a great lover of music, and was able to play music entirely by ear, on instruments which he taught himself to play.  In high school he regularly played the harmonica on commercial radio shows.  At the Naval Academy, he frequently played the grand piano located in Memorial Hall to the delight of lucky classmates and others nearby.  It was while playing this piano that Tom caught the ear and eventually the heart of his future wife, Catherine, who was touring the Academy with her grandfather.

Tom and Catherine were married at St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis on June 18, 1960, immediately following Tom’s graduation from the Naval Academy, and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.  Early in his career, Tom was stationed in Texas and Florida, followed by Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.  Upon completion of his active duty obligation in 1963, Tom accepted a job at Honeywell, designing and installing main frame computer systems, at the dawning of the Information Age. From Maryland, Tom moved his family to Australia where he led the team installing the first ever main frame computer system used by the Australian Department of Defense. 1n 1968, Tom moved his family to Boston, and moved the family again in 1969 to the United Kingdom, where Tom continued to be deeply involved in the development and installation of main frame computer systems. In 1972, Tom moved the family back to Sherwood Forest near Annapolis where he became a fixture within the Annapolis community and a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church.
  
Tom continued his endeavors in the computer industry, working at several companies over the ensuing 20-plus years, including ARINC in Annapolis, where he worked for 10 years.  Among Tom’s many accomplishments was leading the team which developed and deployed one of the first ever satellite-supported ship-to-shore remote emergency cardiac response systems and the sea-air link. His many contributions in these fields reverberate to this day.

In 1994, Tom pursued his passion for law, earning his JD from the University of Baltimore Law School in 1997, at the age of 61, and his Master of Laws (LLM) in tax in 2000.  During his legal career, Tom represented many individuals and businesses in state and federal courts in Maryland, and provided extensive pro bono and reduced fee services to indigent and underserved individuals, who otherwise would have been unable to afford representation.   

 Tom’s natural love of education, personal resilience, and tenacity were contagious.  Many of his children and grandchildren have followed in his footsteps earning college degrees, Juris Doctorate Degrees, and Masters Degrees.  Many have opened their own successful businesses and law practices, all guided by Tom’s pursuit of justice for everyone.  Tom was a member of the Anne Arundel County Bar Association and Maryland State Bar Association, and was admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland, the Federal District of Maryland, the District of Columbia District and Federal Courts, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court, with a number of his cases reported in the appellate courts of Maryland and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. 

In addition to his parents, Tom was preceded in death by his sister, Mary “May”. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Catherine; his brother, Vincent; his children, Thomas, Jr., Patrick and his wife, Denise, Kevin and his wife, Connie, Kathleen and her husband, Rik, Brennan and his wife, Wendy and Colleen and her husband, George; his grandchildren, by whom he was lovingly known as “Poppy”, Thomas Ryan, Trystan, Shane, Dee Dee, Caitlyn, Eryn, Patrick, Jr., Aidan, Seamus, William, Troy, Travis, Tad, Jr., Sean, Skyelar, Liam, Emma, Christopher, Lauren, Christian, Connor, Ellianna, and Alex and his great children, Michael, Anthony, James, Daniel, Saoirse, Ceili, Yetta-Marie, Wyatt, Ronan, Declan, Kilian, Adaline, Kiylnn, Brayden, Chandler, Kolten, Skylar, Cohan, Crew, Thaddeus, III “Tripp”, Micky, III “Trey”, Rowan, Jasmine, Emiliano, and Nayeli. Tom was a mentor, inspiration, and role model to countless other young people with whom had a natural and deep connection and love, including his former son-in-law, Tad, Sr., and former daughter-in-law, Jessica. To them, whether in-law, niece, nephew, or friend of one of his own children, Tom will forever be remembered as “Dad,” “Mr. Mac,” “Big Tom,” or simply “Mr. McCarthy.”

Friends and Family are invited to celebrate Tom’s life at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD on Friday September 6 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm with rosary being said at 7:30 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at Holy Family Catholic Church, 826 W. Central Ave., Davidsonville, MD on Saturday, September 7 at 11 am. Interment will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Annapolis.  


Thomas McCarthy, Sr.

Thomas McCarthy, Sr.

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