Dennis Patrick “Mac” McCarthy Sr.: May 9, 1948 – September 26, 2026
KELSO- Dennis Patrick “Mac” McCarthy Sr., 78, passed away on September 26, 2026, at home, just as he had always wanted.
Dennis was born on May 9, 1948, in Missoula, Montana, to Justin and Ruth McCarthy; a Mother’s Day Baby. He graduated from high school in Meridian, Idaho, in 1966 and began working at the Fiber Mill shortly afterward. At just 19 years old, Dennis was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He served from March 13, 1968, until February 14, 1970, attaining the rank of Specialist E-4. During his service, Dennis was wounded and received two Purple Hearts. When his military service ended, he returned home and went back to work at the Fiber Mill, beginning the next chapter of a life defined by hard work and providing for his family. After retiring from the mill, Dennis wasn’t quite ready to sit still. He owned McCarthy Construction for two years, and then went on to later retire from Phillips 66/Brinderson in 2015.
Dennis was a hardworking man, but work was only one part of who he was. He loved snow skiing and water skiing, hunting, boating, working on cars, and just about anything that gave him a reason to be outdoors or tinkering with something. He especially loved his Chevy trucks. He loved watching his children, and later his grandchildren, play sports. But more than any hobby, Dennis loved his family.
Anyone who knew Mac knew exactly what kind of man he was. He was an honest man who meant what he said, did what he said he was going to do, and believed a man’s word should mean something. He was hardworking, stubborn, brutally honest, fiercely loyal to his family, and carried himself with a true Irish attitude and demeanor. He was a perfectionist through and through who believed there was his way and then the wrong way. You never had to wonder where you stood with Mac, he’d tell you.
He was also a lifelong jokester, and no one was a more frequent target than his wife, Mary. After 39 years together, giving his wife a hard time had practically become one of his favorite hobbies. He loved teasing her and finding some way to get a reaction out of her and he kept doing it right up through the last day of his life. Even at the end, Mac was still Mac. He is survived by his wife, Mary; his sons, Dennis Patrick McCarthy Jr. and Douglas McCarthy; his stepchildren, Deana Glenn and her husband, Jim, Jeff Stokes and his wife, Marti, and Eric Stokes and his wife, Brooke; his grandchildren, Skai Hogue and her husband, Zane Hogue; Dennis Patrick McCarthy III; Zack and Kayla McCarthy; Ava Glenn; Logan and Mallory Stokes; and Alex and Colton Stokes; and his great-grandchildren, Bodi and Mila Hogue and many nieces and nephews.
Dennis was preceded in death by his son, Justin B. McCarthy; his parents, Justin and Ruth McCarthy; his brother, Justin McCarthy; his sisters, Nina Schrader, and Catherine McCarthy; and his grandsons, Christopher & Jonah McCarthy. Mac was a tough, funny, stubborn, hardworking, honest, Irishman, and unmistakably himself. He could make you laugh, give you a hard time, and argue his point long after everyone else had decided the argument was over; just ask his wife Mary. He lived by his word, loved his family deeply, and left behind a lifetime of stories that will be told and laughed about for years to come.
And for everyone who knew him simply as Mac, there will never be another quite like him. A Celebration of Life will be held November 14, 2026, at the Cowlitz County Event Center from 1pm-4pm.
