Virginia “Dee Dee” Catherine McCarty
Virginia “Dee Dee” Catherine McCarty passed away December 30, 2025, she was 86.
Born to Florence and Edward Smith July 28, 1939, Virginia was lovingly raised in a small duplex on the East side of Detroit with her parents and four sisters downstairs, and her aunt and uncle and their two girls upstairs.
An experience that undoubtedly contributed to her resiliency and quick sense of humor. Of her four sisters, Mary Anne, Jacqueline “Jackie,” Kathleen and Barbara, she is survived by only Jackie.
Virginia, who was often referred to by her nickname, Dee Dee, attended Dominican High School and then the University of Detroit. Afterward, Virginia taught second grade in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
On June 17, 1961, she married the love of her life, William “Bill”John McCarty, at St. Matthew in Detroit. Taking on the world together with steadfast devotion they shared 46 years before Bill’s passing May 30, 2007. Together they raised and educated five children: William, Edward, Catherine, Thomas, and Mary Frances and were blessed with 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her life was defined by her faith and her marriage. A peaceful and steadying presence, Virginia could be counted on to find beauty and humor in just about anything, and she never missed the opportunity to tell those who she loved that she loved them.
Surrounded by their family and friends, Bill and Dee Dee raised their five children in a Roman Catholic home, enjoying holidays and other events; her family’s cottage on Lake Erie in Wheatley, Ontario; and once-a-year vacations “up north” to fish and turn the kids loose.
Bill and Dee Dee fearlessly relocated their family to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for three years as one of Bill’s Ford Motor work assignments. Not surprisingly, the experience was a defining period for them that enriched their lives and clarified their hopes and dreams. Finally settling on the shores of Lake Huron in the Rogers City area, Bill and Dee Dee enjoyed everything about the region. Serving as a waypoint, their children faithfully spent many a holiday and vacation at the lake house as they raised their own children.
The past few years, life had not been easy for Dee Dee as dementia slowly impaired everything but her sweet disposition. Her last gift to her children was the opportunity to support her, drawing them closer to God and each other. In one of her final moments of clarity, Virginia looked at her youngest daughter, Mary Frances, and whispered, “God knows what we need and gives it to us.”
Virginia is survived by all her children, a son, William; a son, Edward and his family Michelle, Daniel & Katie, Caleb & Evelyn, Mich
Visitation will take place at the Bannan Funeral Home Friday, January 9, from 3-6 p.m. with a parish prayer service at 5:45 p.m. Visitation will continue Saturday, January 10, at St. Anne Church of All Saints Parish from 10 a.m. until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Emmanuel Finbarr officiating.
“Mom will be buried next to Dad at the Calvary Cemetery, Saint Mary Parish, Cheboygan, in the spring.”\
