Patricia K. McCarty

Born Patricia Ann Kaough in Lake Charles, Louisiana to Archie R. Kaough and Bessie Curley Kaough. After the death of her parents in a car accident when she was a child, she was raised by her maternal grandmother, Beatrice Stagg Curley, and her maternal aunt Yvonne Curley Payne. She had no siblings but was close to her cousins, especially Margaret (Peggy) Neeley Schmidt. She graduated from Lake Charles High School as class salutatorian and went on to Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts on a Seven-Sisters Scholarship. There she met Harvard Law School student, Neil J. McCarty. They were married on February 3, 1948 at Immaculate Conception Church in Lake Charles.

With their first child, Pat and Neil moved to Neil's hometown of Kaukauna, Wisconsin in 1949. Eleven more children would follow. They moved into a home on Grignon Street where Pat befriended other young mothers in the neighborhood, and developed the cooking skills required to satisfy a growing family (her chicken gumbo was one of many memorable dishes).

The family eventually moved to a larger home on Wisconsin Avenue. Through all the feeding, clothing, and schooling of her children, Pat retained her intellectual curiosity and political awareness. She was active in her opposition to the Vietnam war and in her support of the Civil Rights movement and the United Farm Workers grape boycott. She was a reader with wide interests, and a music lover with tastes that ranged from Broadway show tunes to classical music to jazz.

As her children matured she attended Lawrence University in Appleton to complete the undergraduate degree begun at Radcliffe. She studied Spanish and traveled to Spain to immerse herself in the language and culture. She went on to work in adult education at Northeast Wisconsin Technical Institute in Appleton. She was a prolific letter writer and nurtured her friendships and family with correspondence. For several years she joined friends for an annual womens-only canoeing expedition in Minnesota's Boundary Waters.

Pat was a practitioner of yoga for many years, a skilled and productive knitter, a horsewoman, and a graceful dancer. After Neil's retirement the couple moved to a home near Jacksonport in Door County. There Pat oversaw a large garden, took up weaving, and volunteered with the Ridges Sanctuary, the League of Women Voters, and St. Joseph's Retreat. She was active in the Democratic Party and was a poll worker for the Town of Jacksonport.

Throughout their lives, Pat and Neil enjoyed travel, visiting Mexico, Europe, and particularly Ireland where they returned seven times. They were members of Holy Cross Parish in Kaukauna and Stella Maris Parish in Door County. In 2011 they moved from Door County back to the Fox Valley and a senior living community in Appleton, and then to St. Paul Home in Kaukauna.

She was preceded in death by her husband Neil, and by three children: Mary Elizabeth, Robert, and Daniel.

She is survived by her children and their spouses; Joseph (Tony), Mary (Pat Quinn), Tom (Wendy), John (Shima), Ellen (Ricardo), Laurence, Teresa (Juvenal), Margaret, Paul; and by 22 grand-children, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

A funeral liturgy for Patricia will be celebrated on Saturday October 25, 2025, at 11:00am at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 309 Desnoyer St, Kaukauna. Friends and family may gather at the church from 9:00am until mass begins. Patricia will be laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery, Kaukauna.