Former Norwood teacher and Perry Avenue resident, Joseph McCarthy, died on Sunday, Jan. 7, aged 79. The news was confirmed by his brother, John, who described Joe as a local influential figure and community leader in the ‘60s ’70s and ’80s, who was heavily involved with the local school board.

As detailed in his obituary, published on Farenga Brothers Funeral Home, “A lifelong resident of The Bronx, Joe was born into a large and loving Irish Catholic family on April 2, 1944. The second eldest of nine children, he attended St. Brendan’s in the Norwood section of The Bronx. Upon graduation, he went to Cathedral High School in Manhattan, and then onto Dunwoodie Seminary in Yonkers where he met many lifelong friends.”

It continued, “He soon discovered that his true calling was to work with the students and families within the New York City Department of Education. For over 40 years, he proudly served in many different roles including: classroom teacher; school administrator and director of special education, to name a few. During his early years of teaching hearing-impaired students in Manhattan, he met the love of his life, Ann McLoughlin.

They were married on March 29, 1980, at St. Jean Baptiste in Manhattan. Joe and Ann moved to Woodlawn in 1985, where they raised their daughters Kate and Crissie, and enjoyed the many friendships that were developed over the years.

In his later years, Joe developed many passions and interests, including being a founding member of the Woodlawn Civilian Patrol; serving as president of the Woodlawn Taxpayers Association; volunteering as a member of the Auxiliary Coast Guard; being a lector at St. Barnabas Church, and going on mission trips with the HOPe Charity to Honduras and Ethiopia.

Without a doubt, his favorite passion was being ‘Pop’ to his grandchildren, Ava and Mason, who always knew how to make him smile. His favorite days were spent watching his beloved New York Yankees; going on weekend trips to the Poconos, and enjoying summer vacations in Cape May, New Jersey with his family who he loved more than anything in the world.

Joe was filled with love, warmth, and compassion, always greeting everyone with a smile and a kind word. He will be deeply missed by all his family and friends.

Joe is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Ann (née McLoughlin), his daughter, Kate, and her husband, Billy Slattery, his daughter, Crissie, his beloved grandchildren, Ava Kelly and Mason Joseph, and his siblings John, Nora, Katherine O’Reilly, Gerard, Edward (Charo) and Hope.

He was also a dear brother-in-law to Charles (Bud) and Terais McLoughlin and Thomas and Mildred Miller as well as an uncle and great uncle to many nieces and nephews. Joe was predeceased by his parents, John and Rita (née Quinlan), [who had moved from the South Bronx] his sisters, Rita and Mary Anne, his brother-in-law, Jack O’Reilly, his great nephew, John Peter O’Reilly, and his in-laws, Charles and Mildred McLoughlin.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Cardinal McCloskey Community Services (https://cmcs.org/) or HOPe Charity (https://hope-charity.org/) would be greatly appreciated by the family.”

Speaking to Norwood News, John mentioned that Joe later moved up to Woodlawn, and had worked as a campaign manager for the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Of Joe’s time on the school board in the late ’60s, smiling, John said, “There were representatives from the Catholic schools and the public schools. He was kind of in the middle. He taught in the public school but went to Catholic school, so he was sort of the link between the two.” He added that both Joe’s wife and daughter are also involved in the teaching profession.

According to John, and as detailed on the website of Farenga Brothers Funeral Home, Joseph’s viewing will be held on Friday, Jan. 12, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hodder Farenga Funeral Home, 899 McLean Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704. Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m. at St. Barnabas Church, 409 E 241st St, Bronx, NY 10470. Interment will follow at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 10 W. Stevens Avenue, Hawthorne, NY 10573, also on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 11:30 a.m.

John said Joe had initially been diagnosed with sleep apnea and later with Alzheimer’s. “When someone’s been suffering for months and months and months and months, it’s really a blessing,” he said of his brother’s death. “When you’re hit or run over by a car or someone comes to shoot you in the head, that’s a tragedy, but he’s in a much better place. Sitting here and just suffering, suffering, suffering, he’s much better off. He had a really good life.”

To plant a memorial tree in memory of Joseph, visit the Tree Store.