Thomas Weller McCarthy

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by West Point 1955 on May 28, 2019:

Lucille Berenice (White) McCarthy (25 APR 1935 - 13 OCT 2002) My Mom, Berenice McCarthy, was born near Detroit, Michigan on April 25, 1935. As the daughter of an Air Force officer, Mom lived in many locations including California, Florida and Japan. After receiving her nursing degree in 1957 in San Francisco, she traveled to Lomdon and Germany to work as a nurse. In Germany Mom was working in a US Army Hospital when she was introduced to her future husband, my Dad, Thomas (Tom) W. McCarthy by the local Catholic priest. Mom and Dad were married within a year in April of 1960 at Ft. Benning, GA. In January of 1961. I was born at Ft. Benning, GA. Shortly after I was born my Dad was stationed to Ft. Bragg, NC where my brother Robert Weller McCarthy was born on February 25, 1962 followed by my brother John Martin McCarthy on September 12, 1963. When my Dad left to serve in Vietnam in 1963 the family settled in Fayetteville, NC awaiting his return. Unfortunately my Dad was killed in Vietnam on March 3, 1964, a month before he was to return home. With 3 young boys under the age of 4, my mother had a huge responsibility that she never wavered from. Her sons were always first and foremost in her mind. She sacrificed to make sure we had what we needed and she was constantly guiding us and letting us know we were loved. Mom drove us to school every day and also volunteered as the school nurse. We survived on a meager government pension for many years until my youngest brother John entered high school, and Mom decided it was ok for her to go back to work as a nurse at Womack Army Hospital at Fort Bragg. Mom worked there from 1978 until her retirement in 2000 at the age of 65. She was the ultimate caregiver and she was loved by her patients and her co-workers. Upon her retirement Mom discovered she had a form of leukemia that was deemed to be treatable. Unfortunately the treatment of her disease progressively weakened her immune system and she contracted pneumonia. Mom passed away on October 13, 2002 in Pinehurst, NC. A memorial service was held in Washington, DC followed by her burial with my Dad at Arlington National Cemetery. Being a single parent and raising three young boys was not a challenge my Mom ever anticipated, but she rose to the occasion and set an example that inspires me and my brothers to this day. She taught us right from wrong, to be the best we could be and most importantly to love and care for others. Thomas McCarthy March 2016

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