Thomas Michael McCarthy passed away on Oct. 30, 2020, at his home in Friday Harbor, Washington, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Tom was born on Feb. 2, 1945, in Mitchell, South Dakota, the son of Thomas Owen and Margaret Dawn McCarthy.

Tom graduated from high school in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Arizona State for four years, enjoying the camaraderie and making lifelong friendships with several classmates. Following college, he moved to southern California, where he did custom work on sailboats, and sailed in many races.

In 1975, he visited college classmates who had moved to Gold Beach, Oregon. He liked it there and made it his home for the next 23 years. There he met and married Darlene (Dar), the “love of his life.” After a few odd jobs, he became a rural mail carrier on a route up the famous Rogue River, a job which he enjoyed. After he retired, they spent summers traveling up the coast of Oregon and Washington. On one trip, they visited a friend in Friday Harbor and loved it there. They purchased a 30-foot sailboat and it became their vacation home. In 2003, they sold their home and moved to Friday Harbor, where they have lived for the past 17 years. He also liked to travel and enjoyed trips to Germany and Ireland. Tom never met a stranger and loved to chat with all his neighbors and island friends.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Darlene, stepchildren Danny (Shari), Debra (Craig Baumann) and Darren (Paulette) Kuykendall; step-grandchildren Daniel, Ryan, Gabriel, Micah, Abigail, Kelly, and Cameron; siblings Diane Kochaniewicz, Casey James (Kathe) McCarthy; nephew Sean (Carrie) Kochaniewicz, and niece Erin (Joseph Govednik); and five great nieces and nephews.

In honor of Tom’s memory, please have him in your thoughts the next time you enjoy a cold Guinness.

To share memories of Tom, please sign the online guestbook at https://www.evanschapel.com.