Patrick Justin (“PJ”) McCarthy

Patrick Justin (“PJ”) McCarthy passed away peacefully of natural causes December 15, 2025, at the age of 93. He was born March 30, 1932, son of William Justin and Marie McCarthy. He grew up in Parnell, Michigan, and graduated from Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School in 1950. He was a military veteran who served in the United States Air Force from 1950-54 including two years in Korea during the Korean War.

He attended Michigan State University and managed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1960 even though he also had a wife and four of his five children by then. He had a long and successful career in the water treatment industry. Patrick was preceded in death by his parents, his brother William and sister-in-law, Dorothy, his wife, Joan Kathryn Foley McCarthy, and his son Toby. He is survived by his sons Tim, Thomas Justin and Terry, daughter Maureen Paluska, daughters-in-law Tracey McCarthy (Tim), Therese McCarthy (Terry) and Betty McCarthy (Toby), son-in-law Charles Paluska, first cousin Ann McCarthy, eleven grandchildren (Katie, Mike, Brian, Annie, Francis, Jeannie, Patrick, Mary, Max, Harry and Joan) and seven great-grandchildren (Keenan, Zelda, Jack, Tommy, Zara, Finnegan and Owen).

PJ was a hard-working farm boy from rural Michigan born during the Great Depression, and the first member of his family line to attend and graduate from college. He met his wife Joan while both served in the Air Force.  She was a city girl from Boston, one of sixteen children and a Foley, every bit as Irish as PJ. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and while he outlived many friends, he also leaves behind many more, including a large group of friends known affectionately as the Panera Gang, who have met for coffee and conversation most mornings for decades. He was one of those people whom everyone likes, who seemed to know everyone in town and for whom the timeline between meeting a new person and including them in his friend group always seemed to be measured in minutes. He was a caring friend with a wry sense of humor and love for life. He will be missed by all who knew him.

As a younger man, PJ was a dedicated and competitive runner with many marathons and half-marathons under his belt. He was well-suited to be a marathon runner given his tenacity and tendency to be in constant motion.

Visitation will be held 3:30pm – 6:30pm, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at O’Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Funeral Home, 3980 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. Funeral Service will take place 11:30am, Thursday, December 18, 2025, at O’Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Funeral Home. Interment St. Patrick Cemetery, Parnell. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to the Cascade Public Library. Online condolences may be offered to the family at gerstfuneralhomes.com.