Gerald Francis McCarthy

The classified results of today’s Irish Sports Pages have arrived and read as follows… Gerald “Jerry” Francis McCarthy, age 68, a man dedicated to his family above all else, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2024, at Yale New Haven Hospital surrounded by his wife, children, siblings, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. Jerry was born in Bridgeport, CT to the late James and Mary McCarthy, and was predeceased by his sister, Mary “Mimi” McCarthy, a Sister of Mercy, Christopher McCarthy, his nephew, and Brendan “Homer” McCarthy, his brother. 

Throughout his life, Jerry saw himself as a son of Bridgeport, and lived his life in service to his city. Having grown up on Black Rock Avenue surrounded by a large immediate and extended Irish family, Jerry strongly identified with his South End roots. He came from a working class family, to immigrant parents who both came to the U.S. from Ireland and viewed Bridgeport as “home,” as the place that gave them a life of opportunity. That work ethic and sense of gratitude was never lost on Jerry. He understood that hard work would be his path to success. 

Jerry showed an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. Observing his older brothers, he realized that obtaining a “paper route” (a defined list of clients to whom one delivers the daily ‘newspaper,’ a thing that long ago was printed on paper each morning and left on people’s doorsteps) was the best way to earn a few extra dollars. Through a combination of determination to obtain vacant paper routes and fortuitously inheriting paper routes that his older brother Brendan left dormant, Jerry amassed two things: a large client list and a realization of independence that comes from being your own boss. 

These lessons learned as a young boy informed Jerry’s choice of educational path and professional life. Instead of following in the footsteps of his older brothers and going away to college, Jerry stayed close to home, completing his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Bridgeport, all the while working at Mary Journey’s Inn in the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport. Jerry studied Business Administration and Real Estate while at UB, laying a theoretical groundwork for what would eventually become a career as a property manager. 

Shortly after graduating college, Jerry met Patricia (“Pat”), and the young couple were married on November 13, 1981. When they purchased their first home together on Pearl Harbor Street in Bridgeport, Jerry used the money he had saved from his childhood paper routes to cover the cost of the down payment. True story. Over time, Jerry and Pat built a full life together. They eventually moved to Dixon Street in the North End of Bridgeport, where they would raise their four children. The Dixon Street home was a hub in the neighborhood; Jerry and Pat welcomed their children’s friends into their home for meals or a swim in the pool. They never turned anyone away, such was their giving nature. 

Jerry started his property management business, McCarthy & Associates, in the late 1980s, a line of work that played to his strengths as a people-person. Running from building to building, calling in favors with contractors at all hours to do emergency work, Jerry was never not working. There was no 9 to 5 life for Jerry, but rather a 24/7 work-mindset that both allowed him to provide for his family and to feel fulfilled as a member of his community. He was a caregiver, both in his personal life and his professional life. Outside of his business, Jerry engaged with his city in a variety of roles, including as a former board member of the Bridgeport YMCA, the Board of Regional Networks of Bridgeport, and for a time as the PTA President at St. Ambrose School. 

A deep-thinker and an old soul, Jerry could spend hours reading, particularly about history, politics, or crime fiction. He loved the HBO series, “Deadwood,” most likely for the delicate language. But his interests varied widely and were a reflection of his complexity as a person: he had an appreciation for the arts and high fashion, he loved the physical challenge of playing handball, and he just may have considered himself a novice food critic, whereby dishes were proclaimed as either “out of this world” or “simply underwhelming.” There was no middle ground with Monsieur Gerald. 

Though he spent so much of his life working, Jerry should be remembered as someone who was fiercely loyal to his family. The youngest of five children, Jerry remained close with his parents long after his older siblings had moved out. In adulthood, he visited his aging (and yet remarkably independent) mother as often as possible, taking care of whatever needed doing, whether it was cutting the grass or spending an hour listening to gossip. Grandma McCarthy (as many knew her), in return, always made sure there was Whole Milk in the ice box (fridge, to the kids) for Jerry to have with his tea. 

Jerry was eternally proud of his children. If there was ever a relevant moment in a conversation where he felt he could brag about his kids, he would. He wanted the world to know what his children were capable of. In a life so full of achievements, Jerry would probably say that his greatest accomplishment had been being a father. 

Jerry is survived by his wife of nearly 43 years, Patricia McCarthy (née Bendlak), his partner in crime and mischief. He is also survived by his four children: Donna Gualtieri (Eddie Gualtieri), Melissa McCarthy, James McCarthy (Liza McCarthy), and Patricia McCarthy (Justin Gavil); his siblings: Kathleen McCarthy Swanton, James McCarthy (Beth McCarthy), and Kathy McCarthy (wife to Brendan); his nieces and nephews: Martin McCarthy (Melissa Nyden McCarthy), Matthew McCarthy (Mary Elizabeth Daly McCarthy), Colin McCarthy (Beatriz Ota), and Molly McCarthy (Stephen McCabe), Ryan McCarthy, Kyle McCarthy (Cortney McCarthy); his grandchildren: Emma Gualtieri, Tommy McCarthy, and Cole McCarthy; his grandnieces and nephew: Mackenzie McCarthy, Mason McCarthy, Everly Rae McCarthy, and Elowen McCabe; countless other family members – McCarthy cousins hailing from far and wide, from Connecticut to Brooklyn to Ireland, the Bendlak family; and friends who, because of his devotion and loyalty, thought of Jerry like family. All those loved ones he leaves behind will remember a man who was a subscriber to the Irish Sports Pages (also known as the obituaries), a man with a solid moral compass who only wanted to help others, and a man who, when telling a funny story, would labor through the best bits as he fought back his own laughter … a good man. 

Friends and family may call on Sunday, November 3 from 3-7 p.m. at the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Gerald on Monday, November 4 at 10 a.m. at St. Ann's Church, 481 Brewster Street, Bridgeport.