Dr. Charles McCarthy Jr.

A memorial service for Dr. Charles Terrell McCarthy, Jr., will be held Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 11:30 AM at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tyler under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Dr. Charles Terrell McCarthy Jr. was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 10, 1929, the only son of Dr. Charles Terrell McCarthy Sr. and Margaret Andrews. His early childhood was spent in Liberty, Texas, before moving to Monahans, Texas, where he graduated from high school in 1946. He received his bachelors degree in 1950 and his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1953, both from Tulane University in New Orleans. After medical school, Charles had an internship at Hermann Hospital in Houston where he met Mary Arden Smith who was a nursing student at the University of Houston. The two soon became engaged. After two years of medical training in Houston, he joined the Air Force and served as a Captain and General Medical Officer at Sculthorpe Air Force Base in England. In the meantime, Mary graduated from nursing school and crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary to join Charles in England. The passage through the North Atlantic was made during a terrible storm in which the ship came close to rolling over, and it even made the news with injured passengers being carried off the ship. Charles and Mary were married in the base chapel on March 24, 1956. They had also made their vows to each other the day before in a civil ceremony in Kingsland, giving them memories of two wedding anniversaries to remember over the years. Their first son, James Patrick, was born while the couple was living in Norfolk, East Anglia, a picturesque community in England. After completing his military service, Charles moved his family to Oklahoma City to complete a residency in orthopedic surgery. During this time, a second son, Michael Ross, was born. In 1960 the family moved to Tyler where Charles began his own private practice as an orthopedic surgeon. At the time there were only 60 doctors in Tyler and only three orthopedists. Charles put in many long hours, and responded to many late night emergency room calls as he served the needs of patients at both Mother Francis and Medical Center hospitals. Mary worked in his office off and on over the years. Charles and Mary also celebrated the birth of two more sons, John Timothy and Daniel Andrew. The field of orthopedics and the community of Tyler have both undergone great change during the years that he practiced in Tyler and Charles continued to grow with these changes. He performed the first prosthetic implant surgery in Tyler and spent the latter portion of his practice specializing in hip and knee replacements. Following a general trend in the practice of medicine he eventually ended his private practice and became a founding member of the Azalea Orthopedic group. He was elected by the Texas Orthopedic Association to the Board Of Councilors of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Dr. McCarthy’s professional achievements include being board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, being a member of the Clinical Orthopedic Society, and being a fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He was also a member of the Southern Orthopedic Association, the Texas Orthopedic Association, and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. Dr. Charles McCarthy Jr. served the Tyler community for 44 years with diligence, professionalism, and humble integrity before his retirement in 2004. His retirement was marked by the creation, in his name, of a permanent scholarship endowment for nursing students at the University of Texas at Tyler. Thereafter, for as long as his health allowed, he continued to provide medical care by serving as a volunteer at the Bethesda Clinic. In 2006, the Bethesda Clinic named him to the Dr. Luke Society. The members of the Smith County Medical Society also voted for him to receive the Gold-Headed Cane, “a symbol of respect, truth, culture and art in the medical profession.” Charles McCarthy was a long time member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Over the years Charles enjoyed his family, hunting, Bible study, and the occasional game of golf. He is survived by his wife Mary Arden, son James Patrick and wife Natalie, son Michael Ross, son John Timothy and wife Annie, son Daniel Andrew and wife Teresa, as well as grandchildren Matthew, Taylor, William, and Maegan. Honorary pallbearers for Dr. McCarthy include Dr. John Walker, Dr. Jan Garrett, Dr. William Schreiber, Dr. David Carney, Dr. Donald Knarr and Dr. H. Don Smith. Visitation is scheduled for Friday, February 13, 2015 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway, in Tyler Memorials may be made to The Bethesda Clinic, 409 W. Ferguson St., Tyler, TX 75702, or Trinity Lutheran Church, 2001 Hunter Street, Tyler, Texas 75702.

Dr. Charles McCarthy Jr.

April 10, 1929 - February 10, 2015