Mary Ellen McCarthy

Mary Ellen McCarthy, 64, passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday, April 5, 2020.

Mary Ellen was the third of four children born to Paul and Elizabeth “Betty” (Gilroy) McCarthy in Vienna, Virginia.  Mary Ellen attended Virginia Tech.  Because of health issues that developed at that time, Mary Ellen was disabled from employment throughout her adult life.  Her whole world centered around her family including her parents and her siblings, Joe, Patty, and Steve.

After the loss of their parents, Mary Ellen, Joe, and Patty moved to Davenport in 2013 to be closer to their Gilroy and Bush relatives from Lost Nation and Davenport including her Aunt Carmelita (Gilroy) Bush and her cousins Michael, David, John, and William Bush  and Mary (Gilroy) Larson.

Although Mary Ellen battled health issues her entire adult life, she maintained a warm and welcoming personality with a world class sense of humor and a laugh which could light up a room.  Her presence in Iowa the past 7 years greatly enriched the lives of her relatives and many new friends.

In accordance with her wishes, private graveside services will be held on Tuesday April 7 at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cemetery, Lost Nation, Iowa.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her parents.  She is survived by her siblings: Joseph McCarthy, Patricia McCarthy, and Stephen (spouse Margaret).  She will be greatly missed.

A special thank you to the health professionals that cared for Mary Ellen including Mary Ann Kapasinskas at Vera French, Dr. King, Dr. Kettlekamp, Dr. Blamoun, Dr. Vakkalanka, and Valarie from Visiting Angels.