Dennis Michael McCarthy

Dennis Michael McCarthy, 75, of Leawood, Kansas, went to be with his Heavenly Father on March 11, 2023, surrounded in love and prayer by his family following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Dennis was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 13, 1947 to Justin J. and Irene A. McCarthy. He was a 1966 graduate of Shaker Heights High School and in 1970, graduated from John Carroll University. Following graduation, Dennis enlisted in the US Army Reserve and not long after, began what would become a diverse and successful 30-year career as a United States Secret Service Agent. A highlight of this career was his assignment to the Presidential Protective Division at the White House where he spent five years during the Reagan administration. In this position, Dennis was responsible for creating as well as supervising physical security measures for numerous foreign and domestic presidential events such as a presidential inauguration, summit meetings with foreign heads of state and a NASA space shuttle landing.

Upon his retirement from the Secret Service in 1999, Dennis was hired as the first Director of Safety and Security for the Blue Valley Unified School District in Overland Park, KS. Throughout this 12-year career, he worked with countless at-risk children and developed protocols to maintain safety for thousands of students and employees each day. Upon his retirement from the Blue Valley School District, Dennis became a sworn Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. He was appointed to the CASA Board of Directors in 2013 and was elected as its president, serving from 2017 to 2019. Following his service to CASA, Dennis served as both a board member and director of the United States Secret Service Association.

Throughout his life, Dennis successfully carried out many missions - the most important of which was being a husband, father and grandfather. With his beloved wife and soulmate of 39 years, Cheryl, at his side, he was undeniably successful. He was a devoted and loving father to his two children, Meghan and Sean, and would spend countless hours coaching their sports teams, attending music concerts and providing words of encouragement and wisdom. In recent years, he was able to see both of his children marry amazing partners whom he welcomed with loving arms. One of his most cherished roles in life began in 2015 when he became “Papa” and welcomed his first grandchild, Colin. They were buddies for all things baseball, trains and joke-telling. In 2018, his granddaughter, Evelyn, was born and he loved watching her dance, twirl and play dress-up.

His deep faith carried him through the toughest of times including his battle with cancer. It also provided him with an appreciation for the many blessings in his life. He will be remembered as a man equally as strong as he was caring and thoughtful.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Cheryl; his daughter, Meghan & son-in law, Justin, and their two children, Colin and Evelyn; and his son, Sean & daughter-in-law, Kylie. He is preceded in death by his mother, father, brother, Justin, and his long-time sidekick, Jack, the Cairn Terrier.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to two organizations Dennis held dearly:

CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas