Obituary of Charles J McCarthy

Charles McCarthy was 98, a resident of Basking Ridge and parishioner of St. James Church for over 54 years. After a successful marketing career in the defense industry, he founded his own printing business in his late 40’s located in South Orange, NJ called Rapid Print. He ran the business for over 35 years, with his son Michael later joining the business with him.

Charlie was born on January 7, 1925, and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.  He was a first generation American. He was the eldest son of Charles, a Boston Police officer and his wife Mary, both born in Ireland.  

In 1943 during World War II, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Navy and served as a Signalman on the flight deck of the USS Wasp in the Pacific Theater. The Wasp participated in every major engagement including the Marianas Turkey Shoot, the first battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Halsey’s Typhoon, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the final shelling of the island of Japan before Japan’s surrender in August 1945.  He was honorably discharged in February 1946.  He went on to enroll at Boston College and earned a B.S. in Business Administration, graduating in 1950. 

He married Genevieve Kennedy, also from Boston, in September 1953.  They moved to Norwood, Mass, a suburb of Boston, where they built their own house alongside with Gen's brother (and best friend) Paul and his wife Joan.  They began raising their family there, before moving to Merrick, New York; Fairfield, Connecticut; Lenox, Massachusetts, and finally to Basking Ridge, NJ in 1969, with their six children.

Charlie led an active life and loved to travel with his wife Gen. The two were always planning their next trip together to Europe. He was an avid Boston sports fan, and especially loved the Boston Bruins. He supported his children’s endeavors and was always proud of their accomplishments.  His children all fondly remember spirited discussions at the dinner table about the current events of the time.  

Charlie is survived by sons Kevin, Richard and his wife Suzhen, Michael and his wife Ana, Brian and his wife Annu, David and his wife Kathy, daughter Kathleen, grandchildren Shannon, Zoe, Alissa, Andrew, Christopher, Thomas, Megan, Ryan, Kevin, Kaitlin, and great grandchildren Thomas, Olivia, and Cameron.  He was preceded in death by his wife Genevieve, his brother Paul, and grandson Sean.