John Desmond McCarthy

John Desmond McCarthy, age 65 of Flowery Branch, Georgia passed away Thursday, November 30, from complications following a heart attack. He was born at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta to Dorothy Lee Miller McCarthy and the late Richard Desmond McCarthy.

Mr. McCarthy attended McClatchey Elementary School, The Lovett School, and graduated Crestwood High School, Dunwoody in 1976. He was a post-graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a Minor in History from Saint Lawrence University in Canton, New York where he was a pitcher for the Saints.

After college, he moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to join his father’s furniture design business. He started his real estate career while there before returning to Atlanta to join Fries and Associates in Roswell as an appraiser. He and his partner later formed their own company McCarthy Bass. He had a forty-year career as a residential real estate appraiser.

John loved all sports and referred to himself as a man for all (sports) seasons. He was most proud of his awards of Best Boy Athlete at McClatchey and Most Valuable Player in Basketball at Crestwood. As an adult, he played in softball leagues and basketball at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. He was active in the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association, ALTA, where his team won city titles. He was a Georgia Tech fan following in the steps of his grandfather.

For over forty summers since the age of 9, he joined his father in racing sailboats with The Corinthians. Their annual race/cruises were held in locations from Long Island Sound to Maine. He crewed in the Annapolis to Bermuda Race three times, crewed aboard a first-place boat in the Marblehead to Halifax Race, and sailed three years in Key West Race Week including crewing for the division-winning boat in 2005.

Mr. McCarthy began sailing in Wednesday Night Races on Lake Lanier in the 1980’s. He raced his boat Iniki for over thirty years. He was active in the Southern Sailing Club, Lake Lanier Sailing Club’s Auxiliary Fleet, and was a director of the Atlanta Inland Sailing Club. He was one of the most successful and winningest sailors on Lake Lanier. He considered his biggest successes working among clubs and individuals to coordinate races and events to make them more inclusive with larger participation.

In 2009, Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy traveled to China to adopt their daughter LilaLee who was two years old. During Christmas of 2014, Mrs. McCarthy returned to China to adopt their second daughter Macon who was five years old. After each daughter arrived home, she became daddy’s darling. John’s flexible schedule as an appraiser allowed him to spend many hours a day with his daughters. They accompanied him to job assignments and errands while listening to their daddy’s favorite music. They learned about sports by listening to games in his car. Most importantly to him, he taught them social graces while meeting his business associates and interacting with people everywhere they went.

John was loyal and kept in contact with friends for decades. He loved to watch classic and action movies, read novels, and discuss opinions. He read background stories to discover reasons leading to current events. He was a wordsmith who enjoyed crossword puzzles and Jeopardy. He quoted movies and novels often and kept a book of quotes with oxymorons and paradoxes. John loved to cook for his family and would organize dinners for dozens of sailing friends. He loved all types of music from classical to rock and roll.

Mr. McCarthy is survived by his wife of 31 years, Trena (nee Sawyer), his two daughters LilaLee and Macon, his mother Dorothy Lee Miller McCarthy of Dunwoody, sister Megan McCarthy and her husband Ed Lieber of Larchmont, New York, step-sister Cannon (Jay) Stoffel and step-brother William Simpson both of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, niece Caroline (Ariel) Solano and nephew Matthew (Madeline) Scarpa, and great-niece Elizabeth Scarpa, all of Larchmont, New York.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 9, at 2:00 P.M. at Flowery Branch United Methodist Church, Spring Street, Flowery Branch. The family will greet friends immediately after the service at Lake Lanier Sailing Club, 6206 Commodore Drive, Flowery Branch. In lieu of flowers or other memorials, a college scholarship fund has been created for LilaLee and Macon. Their family appreciates your heartfelt support and loving generosity. https://www.gofundme.com/john-mccarthys-daughters

To express condolences, please sign our online guest book at www.flaniganfuneralhome.com.  Arrangements By: Junior E. Flanigan of Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford, GA (770) 932-1133.