Many classmates saw the wonderful (an understatement) obituary for Dennis McCarthy in The Oregonian yesterday, September 6th.  What an incredible life and person Dennis was. Here is a reprint:  

McCarthy, Dennis 68 June 08, 1947 Aug. 28, 2015 We lost an incredible man to gastrointestinal stromal tumors, a rare form of cancer Dennis fought for nearly 14 years. Be- cause of timely research, our family was rewarded with additional, treasured years with this gentle and kind soul. Dennis was born to Frances and Leo of Milwaukie. After graduating from Milwaukie High School, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, boarded "The Burton Island" icebreaker and traveled to Antarctica. He loved telling family he drank beer with the penguins. Once back in civilian life, Denny continued his love affair with the sea by participating in a race from Victoria, B.C., to Lahaina, Hawaii, in 1978 aboard the sailboat "Wizard." This eventually led to his owning a wooden Thistle followed by constructing from scratch his very own smaller boat. What a talented guy! The Coast Guard prepared Dennis to become an electrical foreman. He was a member of local IBEW 48 and worked primarily on commercial projects. He retired from Tice Electric, a company that respected and treated him well. Among the things Dennis loved were interacting with his wonderful Brittanys, watching Ducks football in Autzen Stadium, quenching his thirst for knowledge, drag racing, inventing what he needed, ruling over his man caves, restoring old cars, volunteering at Providence Medical Center Short Stay, working with his hands (the bigger the challenge, the better), completing any and all projects and a warm blackberry on his tongue. He adored his family, best friend and wife of 38 years, Annie; extraordinary children, Meghan Hook and Patrick McCarthy and spouses, Ryan and Rissa; precious grandchildren, Eloise, Mason and June; sisters, RoseMary Lyons, Carol Ann McCarthy and Maureen McCarthy (deceased); and several nieces and nephews. He taught us well: don't take life too seriously, display integrity, accept others as they are, take time to enjoy a quiet walk, be true to yourself, find wonder in learning new things and love your family more than you think is possible. There will be no service per Dennis's wishes. Instead, the family asks that you drink a beer, take a walk or hug someone you love in his memory. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be directed toward GIST research at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.