Joe Hankley McCarty

Joe Hankley McCarty, son of Cleve and Vetura McCarty, passed away April 7, 2025. He was born January 14, 1930 on a farm in White River Township, Hamilton County Indiana, 35 miles north of Indianapolis. He resided in the Peoria and Dunlap area since 1954.

Joe married Janet McCarty of Gary, Indiana in San Antonio, TX on April 17, 1954. They had known each other since September 1951 when they met at a watermelon party at Purdue University. Janet survives along with a daughter Cheryl, a son Gregory, along with 4 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Joe graduated from Purdue University in 1952 with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering. He worked at Caterpillar for 9 weeks before going on active duty in the Air Force from 1952-1954.

Joe returned to Caterpillar in 1954 and retired in 1989 after 35 years. He was a service representative and a technical writer/editor in the Product Support Department. He was a member of the Society for Technical Publications and served as an election judge from 1990 through 2012 in Medina Township, Peoria County. He was a member of the University United Methodist Church in Peoria, serving there in various capacities since 1956. He had a lifetime membership in the Purdue University Alumni Association.

In 1959, he joined the Illinois Grandview Masonic Lodge AF&AM No. 1112 in Peoria Heights.

He served in the Illinois National Guard and various Air Force Reserve units, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1980. Joe and his daughter Cheryl flew to Washington, D.C. on an Honor Flight in June 2015.

Joe and Janet enjoyed their family regardless of the distances separating them. They enjoyed yard work, volunteering and traveling. They were fortunate enough to visit all 50 states, and Joe has been on all seven continents. He especially enjoyed his visits to Antarctica, Siberia, Mongolia and with Janet to Kenya. While in Antarctica, Joe was on small cruise ship converted from a Russian icebreaker and he stepped twice on the continent. They both rode camels in Egypt to the pyramids and Joe rode yet another camel in Mongolia. He also rode a horse in Argentina on the way to Antarctica.

Joe and Janet enjoyed sports, especially his favorites, the Purdue Boilermakers and the Chicago Bears and Cubs. In June, 2016 he fell and injured his back. After lots of therapy, he continued mowing the yard through 2019.

A visitation will be held at University United Methodist Church, 2810 N. University Street, Peoria, IL, 61604, at 1PM on Saturday, April 12. A Celebration of Life is scheduled at 2PM. Reverend Mary Kathryn Pearce will officiate. Burial will be at a later date in Aroma, IN.

Memorials may be made to University United Methodist Church Memorial Fund (reference Joe H. McCarty as a memo note) in lieu of flowers.