Mr. JAMES ROY "Jim" McCARTY Jr.

FORT WORTH -- James Roy "Jim" McCarty Jr. died Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, surrounded by members of his loving family. Mr. McCarty was 89 years old. Celebration of life: Family and friends will gather to celebrate Jim's life at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Carshon's Delicatessen, 3133 Cleburne Road. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Fort Worth Rose Society or the Fort Worth Botanical Society. Born in El Dorado, Ark., on June 25, 1925, the son of James Roy McCarty, Sr. and Lucy Lee Buie McCarty, Jim attended Louisiana Tech where he met the love of his life, Barbara Lou Smith. He graduated with a degree in accounting and later a degree in geology from Centenary College in Shreveport. During the waning years of World War II, Jim was a Navy pilot trainee. Following his military service, he worked 36 years for Burroughs Corp., first as a salesman and then as district manager. Jim's passion was gardening, particularly roses, which he always said he grew especially for Barbara, his wife of 61 years. He served as both president of the Fort Worth Rose Society and the Fort Worth Botanical Society. In recent years he was instrumental in the creation of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Texas Native Forest Boardwalk, of which he was very proud. He had a wry, clever wit and found the joy and humor in any situation. His family remembers him as unfailingly positive and never complaining - he was making people laugh even from a hospital bed. Jim loved opera and jazz, taught himself the clarinet at age 80, and was a voracious reader. He never stopped learning and passed that curiosity on to his children and grandchildren who share his love of history and science. Survivors: Jim is survived by his children, Cynthia Dunlap of Yorktown, Va., and James Arden McCarty of Shreveport, La.; five grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; his sister and sister-in-law, Donna Meholin and Adrienne Nobles; and many friends. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. JAMES ROY "Jim" McCARTY Jr. please visit our Sympathy Store.