McCarthy, Kathleen Frances Bernadette 67, died in her sleep on Saturday, September 21, 2013. She was the beloved mother of Johanna McCarthy of Brooklyn, NY and the fiercely devoted grandmother of Miles and Amalia. She was a civil rights activist and social worker. Kathy marched with Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, helped found Haley House, and served as the head of the Case Investigation Unit for the Department of Social Services of Massachusetts. Her family adored Kathy for her irreverent wit, her selflessness and her profound commitment to social justice. The daughter of the late Frances McCarthy, former agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the late Catherine McCarthy of West Roxbury, and sister to the late Fran McCarthy, Kathy is survived by her sisters, Joanne Dermont and Peggy McCarthy, and her brother Dan McCarthy. She will be missed by her nieces and nephews, family, and many friends. There are no words to describe the depth and kind of love she blew into the air around those who struggled, within her family and those whom she worked with.
Not a saint and never pretending to be one; her crankiness was like a fine wrinkle; annoying to those who had to sit in it but part and parcel to the beauty of her whole being. Memorial service will be held at a later date.