Mary Elizabeth McCarty

Wahoo!" Let's take a boat ride! The children of Mary Elizabeth Goldsmith McCarty (Betty) tearfully but joyfully announce that their dear mother completed her 105-year mission to spread joy. From her home on Gull Lake, Richland, Michigan, with her family on hand, Betty passed from this earth to a new experience of love and remembrance. To family and friends, Betty was the quintessential gregarious hostess, marvelous cook, storyteller, card player, fast driver, boat captain, sage, listener, and good friend. To her children, Betty was the perfect mother, full of energy, encouragement, optimism, and with always a hand to hold. Her loss leaves a giant hole in her family, but she provided decades of memories for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Betty was born to Michigan natives Mary Louise DeWolf and Marlon Richard Goldsmith on April 22, 1915 in Oklahoma City, where her father was an attorney for the Singer Sewing Machine Company. She and her brother, James Edward (now deceased), grew up in Tulsa. In 1931 her parents built a summer cottage at Gull Lake, and thus Betty solidified a life-long love – shared by her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren-of its sparkling diamond-clear water and beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and full moons. Betty attended grade and high schools in Tulsa and attended Tulsa University until reversals caused by the Great Depression required her to work to help support the family. Friends at work introduced her to their cousin, James Alan McCarty (Jim), and he and Betty were married on June 30, 1938, in Tulsa. Betty and Jim lived in Oklahoma where Jim worked for Gulf Oil Corporation until the United States began preparing for World War II. As a reserve officer in the United States Army, Jim was called to active duty and began several stateside and continental assignments (California, Oregon, Texas, Arkansas, Canada, and Alaska) until he was ordered to Europe in 1944 and served as a Colonel in the US Army Corps of Engineers in Holland, Belgium, and Germany until the end of the War. After the war, Jim resumed his career as a petroleum engineer and he and Betty eventually settled in Centralia, Illinois. Jim established his own business with a partner, while Betty stayed home and ran the household with a velvet glove. She and Jim had several couples as friends, but Betty became a surrogate mother to many of her children's friends. The McCarty house was the site of many parties which were planned, catered, and supervised by Betty. Betty and Jim raised four children in a small suburban ranch house with three bedrooms and one bath. And liked it. After Jim died in 1974, Betty transitioned into a friend and friendly ear for her own children, who were finishing college and starting their own families. She continued to expand her circle of friends and purchased a home at Gull Lake in 1975, practically next door to the one her parents had built 40-odd years earlier. For 25 years, she spent winters in Centralia (and sometimes Florida), and summers at Gull Lake. In 2000 she made Gull Lake her permanent home. A life-long Christian Scientist, Betty was a member of branch churches in each city in which she lived. Her trust in a present and powerful God sustained her through the losses in her life. In 2000, Betty joined Kalamazoo Chapter Q of P.E.O. Sisterhood and was a loyal and enthusiastic member, even when she was unable to attend meetings in person. For many years, she hosted the P.E.O. chapter for a summer outing at her Gull Lake home. Betty loved her friends, but most of all her family: her ten grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren. Grandson Ted McCarty preceded her in death in 2012. Her children are Judy and Bruce Kirkland of Lake Suzy, Florida; Susan and John Doster of Granger, Indiana; Jim and Mary McCarty of Richland, Michigan; and Ed and Nancy McCarty of Richland, Michigan. They and their children and grandchildren thank her friends and caregivers for their love and support. A celebration of Betty's life is planned for the future when family and friends can be together safely. In the meantime, you can honor Betty by taking a moment to appreciate those you love and tell them you love them! In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Betty's honor may be directed to The Barn Theater School for Advanced Theater Training, 13351 West M-96, Augusta, MI 49012; Gull Lake Food Pantry, c/o First Presbyterian Church, 8047 Church Street, Richland, MI 49083 or Hospice of Southwestern Michigan, 222 North Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 100, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. The Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care, Richland Chapel is assisting Betty's family. Personal messages and/or favorite memories of Betty may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com