In Memory

Helen Horvath (McCarthy) - Class Of 1953

Obituary for Helen A. McCarthy

Helen McCarthy (née Horvath) was born on August 16, 1935 in Willow Springs, IL, a suburb of Chicago. She was the daughter of Bernadine and Anton Horvath, immigrants from Trekovice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), a tiny town about 35 miles from Vienna, Austria. One of her fondest memories of her childhood was waving to the troops from the Illinois and Michigan Canal Bridge as they left for World War II. At the age of 9 her parents became ill and died within a year of each other. Although she had many relatives in the area, they were all too poor to take her in so she, as well as her 2 sisters, Mary (13) and Carol (2), became wards of the Sisters of St. Cyril and Methodius. Frank, her older brother, joined the Navy. The Sisters moved her to the Jednota Orphanage in Middletown, PA, which was financed by the First Catholic Slovak Union. She was forever grateful that she was able to stay together with her sisters. She loved the time she spent at the orphanage and really enjoyed playing with her many "brothers and sisters." The only thing she didn't like about the orphanage was her chores, saying there were way too many floors to be cleaned. During her teens, she attended Slovak Girls Academy in Danville, PA, a boarding school for Catholic girls. She recalled her teen summers where she would stay on Long Island with the wealthy families of her classmates. As a result of her nearly drowning from a riptide at Jones Beach, she had a great fear of swimming, and later in life would not even venture into the family pool. When she graduated from high school, she became a "Bell Girl" and worked as a telephone operator at various locations in the Philadelphia area. She shared housing and expenses with other girls. She didn't eat shrimp because as she said she had eaten enough shrimp and noodles to last a lifetime. Apparently it was the only meal one of her housemates knew how to cook. At the age of 23, she met her future husband Bud (Leo) McCarthy while they were both singing in the choir at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Penndel, PA. Despite a 10 year age difference, Bud was able to convince the pretty, yet very shy, Helen to date him. A year later on July 13, 1959 they married. They spent almost 25 years together raising a daughter and four sons. Bud succumbed to lung cancer on July 2, 1984, leaving Helen a widow at the age of 48. Despite having 5 kids who still relied on her, she never worried. She had total trust in God. She knew that He would provide everything she needed. She also felt that she needed to give back for all the blessings she had received throughout her life. She had a special affinity for the Ozanam Inn Men's Shelter in New Brunswick, NJ. With her sister Carol's expert couponing skills and their own cash, together they provided hundreds of boxes of cereal to the shelter. Helen also provided Easter breakfast and a Super Bowl meal to the residents every year. Together with her grandkids she would assemble goodie bags for other holidays. Additionally, she enjoyed serving others as a Cub Scout Den mother for over 20 years. She looked forward to Wednesdays when she could share her love of nature with her Cub Scouts. She had also worked as a lunch mother at St. Ambrose School for many years, retiring to take care of her first grandchild.
Helen is survived by her daughter and four sons: Kathy and Bob Fehl and their children, Elizabeth, Danny and Thomas of Old Bridge; Thomas and Debbie McCarthy of Limestone, TN; Frank and Lydia McCarthy and their children, Angelo, Jeric, Angelica, Jerson, Geneva, Angela, Jayar and Junrey of Monroe, NJ; Tim and Joan McCarthy of Burlington, NJ; and the son she resided with, Marty McCarthy, of Old Bridge. She is also survived by her brother in law Jack McCarthy of Tustin, CA; brother in law Robert Weiand of Morrisville, PA; lifelong friend Ida Cherasaro of Penndel, PA; and many nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit the Old Bridge Funeral Home on Tuesday November 21, 2017 from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm. A funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday November 22, 2017 at 10:30 am at the St. Ambrose Church, Old Bridge. A private cremation will be held. Remember Helen by planting sunflowers in the summer. Feed the birds all year, especially the worst days of winter. Helen believed that God would take care of those who provided for these beautiful creatures. Please support the Ozanam Inn Men's Shelter by contacting Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Metuchen http://www.ccdom.org.