Timothy R. McCarthy, 83, Dies

Timothy R. McCarthy, 83, a member of the family that founded and established the 144-year-old St. Louis construction firm McCarthy Building Companies, died Oct. 13.

He suffered a heart attack Oct. 7 in his sleep and has been in the hospital since then. 

McCarthy was part of a family construction dynasty that began in 1864 when an Irish immigrant named, also named Timothy McCarthy, began a lumber business in Ann Arbor, MI building farmhouses and barns. The company he founded in 1864 is now a billion dollar construction firm with offices nationwide.

The first Timothy McCarthy had 10 children, and taught carpentry to two sons, John W. and Timothy Jr. His son Charles became a bricklayer. John W. moved the business to Farmington, MO. It moved to St. Louis in  1917, where it was renamed McCarthy Brothers Construction  Co.

Completion in 1961 of the Priory Chapel helped establish the company's reputation as a significant force in St. Louis construction.

As the company slowly expanded, so did the McCarthy family — with many members filling leadership positions within the firm. Timothy R. McCarthy,Merryl L. McCarthy,  John E. McCarthy, J. Melvin McCarthy and Francis F. McCarthy are credited with much of the company's success from the 1940s to the 1970s.

In  2002 the  company, now called McCarthy Building Companies, completed the  transition to employee ownership. Sales last year were $2.3 billion.

Mr. McCarthy served as the AGC of St. Louis President of the Board of Directors in 1973.

The family asks that that memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor's choice, in lieu of flowers. 

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