James Malcolm McCarl, of Lenoir, died Sunday, September 13, 2015, at his residence. Born July 30, 1928, in Wilmington, NC, he was the son of the late Roger Carlton McCarl and Helen Weathers McCarl. He was a graduate of New Hanover High School and The Citadel (Class of 1950), after which he served two years, two months, and two days in the U.S. Army, including several months of combat duty in Korea as a field artillery forward observer. He received a Bronze Star for meritorious service in the Korean conflict and was discharged from active duty as a first lieutenant. Reentering civilian life, he worked in the furniture industry for 40 years, first as a manufacturer and then as a manufacturer’s representative. In Lenoir, where he came to live in 1955, he was active in the community and in his church, First Presbyterian, where he served as a deacon, elder, and Clerk of Session. In his early years at the church he and his wife, Lucy, worked with the youth group. He carried over into the community his love of young people, serving as a guardian ad litem for 10 years and a tutor for fourth and fifth grades at Valmead School for 10 years, until poor health forced him to retire. In the mid-50s, when the Sabin vaccine for polio came out, he co-chaired a campaign to administer the sugar pill to all the school children in Caldwell County. He was also instrumental in establishing the first free breakfast for low-income children in the schools. He served as chairman of the city’s planning board for 13 years. All these activities, and others, made him a worthy recipient of the Dysart Award in 2003. His personality, along with his years of experience as a salesman, made him a much sought after fund raiser for community projects, as he was not timid about asking anyone for money. He and Lucy supported numerous charitable causes and, by making a challenge gift to the James C. Harper School of Performing Arts, contributed to its successful launching. His interest in education was demonstrated by his service as a director of the Education Foundation of Caldwell County and on the board of Lees-McRae College. An excellent photographer, he took pictures of church activities and, for many years, photographed all new members and all infant baptisms. He will be remembered as a real “people person” and a lover of children, dogs, his family and his church. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lucy Foard McCarl; his son James Malcolm McCarl, Jr. and wife Susan; his daughter Lucy Richmond McCarl and husband, Donald Bushman; his grandchildren Matthew McCarl (Jessica), John Brand (Kinsey) and Mary Elizabeth McCarl Wise (Charles); his great-grandchildren Sumaya Naomi McCarl, Braelyn Emma Brand, and Charlotte Elizabeth Wise. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Wilson of Wrightsville Sound and his brother, Robert McCarl of New York City, as well as a number of nieces and nephews. lnterment will be Saturday, September 19, 2015, at Belleview Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Rev. James Bernhardt and the Rev. Rob Hinman. The family will receive in the church parlor following the memorial service. The family requests that memorials be sent to Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, 902 Kirkwood Ave., NW, Lenoir, NC 28645 or to Children’s Hope Alliance, PO Box 1, Barium Springs, NC 28010 (formerly Grandfather Home). Online condolences may be left at www.greer-mcelveenfuneralhome.com. Greer-McElveen Funeral Home and Crematory is assisting the family.
Posted in: Wilmington Star-News
Posted on: 2015-09-16
Link to original obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/starnewsonline/obituary.aspx?n=james-mccarl&pid=175848269#sthash.MmHcP3wS.dpuf