Gene Yehle McCarthy passed away on June 30, 2018. Gene, 95, was born and raised in Syracuse NY, the eldest of the late Judge Leo and Dorothea Yehle's six children.
She graduated from Syracuse University in 1944 and joined the US Navy; instructing pilots on the Link Trainer flight simulator. She married Henry R. McCarthy and moved to Marcellus, NY where they raised five daughters. Gene and her family spent summers at her beloved Thousand Island Park on the St. Lawrence River.
Gene was very active in her communities. After many years of volunteering at Marcellus and Thousand Island Park (TIP) libraries, she returned to Syracuse University to earn a M.S. degree in Library Science. She continued her volunteer efforts. She learned braille to translate oral and written materials for the visually impaired and served as Board President of the TIP Library. Gene was given the distinguished award for excellence in community service at Thousand Island Park.
When she wasn't busy working, volunteering or raising children, Gene loved to read, sew, knit, attend the theater, play cards, bicycle, swim, play tennis and socialize with her many friends. Gene became a dog-lover and she happily rescued several in her life.
Gene loved to laugh and felt that sharing humor was one of life's greatest gifts. She was a wonderful communicator, from jokes to sending messages of love and support when most needed. Her spirit was large and she touched many with her humor and caring ways.
Gene was predeceased by her husband Henry McCarthy (of Bond Schoeneck & King) and her five siblings. She leaves behind her five daughters: Pam (John) Delles and her children Jennifer and David Finger; Debbie (Daniel) Boland and their daughter Lindsay; Sandy McCarthy; Linda McCarthy (Laura Taht), Melissa (Lloyd) Withers and their children Henry, Jonah, Gwendolyn and Celeste; four great grandchildren and 16 nieces and nephews. - Syracuse Post Standard July 5, 2018