Richard “Dick” McCarthy, 89, formerly of the town of Summit, died Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, at Aspirus Wausau Hospital.
Dick was born on June 7, 1930, in Burlington, to John and Eva (Shields) McCarthy. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1949 and attended Spencerean College in Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Dick served in the United States Marine Corps Second Batallion, First Marines Fox Company, First Marine Division from Sept. 19, 1951 to Sept. 19, 1953 having been in combat in Korea as a communication lineman.
Dick married Kathleen McCourt on Oct. 29, 1955, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Burlington. For 23 years Dick was a volunteer on the Burlington Fire Department, Hose Company #1.
As a young man he worked for his father as a beer distributor and later purchased the business and operated it as White-Fox Distributing. As the industry changed he became a salesman in southeastern Wisconsin. In 1978, he began a career as a salesman for Merrill Candy and Distributing having achieved the recognition as the first of their salesmen to reach the one million dollar mark in sales. His territory included Langlade, Lincoln and Oneida counties. He retired in 1995.
Dick will be remembered as a great storyteller who enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing cribbage.
As a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Elcho, he lived out his faith daily. He was also a member of the American Legion Post in Burlington and a life member of the Gleason Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. In 2014, Dick was honored to participate in the Never Forgotten Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
Dick is survived by his wife, Kathleen; four daughters, Colleen (Rick) Kist of Wausau, Karen (Michael) Bassi of Waukesha, Kay Dee (Russell) Lange of Gleason, and Jan (Rich) Nisleit of Silver Cliff; eight grandchildren, Brian (Amanda) Kist, Bridget (Ben) Condon, Michael A. “Mick” Bassi and finace Alex, Joseph Bassi and fiance Erika, Patrick (Rachael) Bassi, Kevin (Stephanie) Lange, Gregory Lange and finace Jamie, and Kelsey (Brad) Beyer; seven great-grandchildren; sisters, Mary Block of Burlington and Edna (Wenzel) Smetana of LaCrosse; brothers, William McCarthy of Oshkosh and Michael McCarthy of Oakland, Calif; and sisters-in-law, Theresa McCarthy of Burlington and Joan McCarthy of California.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers, John R. and Thomas McCarthy; brother-in-law, Jerry Block; and sisters-in-law, Mary Kay McCarthy and Marise “Honey” McCarthy.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, at 11 a.m. at St. John Catholic Church 415 Sixth Ave, Antigo, with Rev. Mathew Simonar officiating. Burial will take place in spring at the Town of Summit Cemetery. Military honors will be conducted following services at the church. Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3 at the Bradley Funeral Home, Antigo and conclude with reciting of the rosary at 7 p.m. Visitation on Tuesday will be at the funeral home from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to St. Jude Children’s Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105-3678.
Online condolences at www.bradleyfh.com.
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