John Henry Carty

Loving Husband, Father, Grandfather, Educator, Coach and a Man with a Thousand Friends  

Born on April 11, 1957, in Providence, RI, and named after both of his grandfathers, John Henry was the fifth child of Joseph and Kathleen (Dowling) Carty.  He is a graduate of St. Pius V Elementary School, La Salle Academy and Providence College. John continued his education at the University of Cincinnati, earning a Master’s Degree in Deaf Education.  While there, John met Frances M. Cook of Cincinnati, OH.  They returned to the Elmhurst neighborhood of Providence and were married at Christ the King Church in Kingston, Rhode Island in 1981.

For over 30 years, John was an outstanding educator who believed every child has the capacity and right to grow into a life-long learner. He worked at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf (RISD), The Learning Center for the Deaf and READS Collaborative.  At RISD, “Mr. Carty” served multiple roles for 28 years as a teacher, coach, president of the Teachers’ Association, Athletic Director and Director of Outreach, which included an extended mainstream education role at Community Preparatory School in Providence. In February 2020, the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association honored John at the girls basketball tournament by naming the annual tournament trophy the “John Carty Championship Traveling Trophy”.

John is known by all as a man who valued quality time with family and friends. He often spoke of fond memories with lifelong friends from Yawgoog Scout reservation. He cherished spending time with loved ones on his sailboat in the Bay and at his second home in Effingham, NH, which was fondly referred to as “Uncle Buck’s Cabin”. He was a man who loved music, storytelling, and humor. John's greatest treasure in life was the precious time he spent with his three young grandchildren.

John is survived by his wife, Frances (Cook) Carty, his son, Mark Carty and his partner Adele Janik, his daughter, Karen (Carty) Clements and her husband Steve Clements, and three loving grandchildren who called him “Papa John” – Shane and Hailey Clements and Mae Carty. John also leaves Rosemary Carty and David Smith of Narragansett; Joseph “Jay” and Anne Carty of Naples, Florida; Kathleen Carty and William Kita of Hamburg, New York; Paul Carty of Narragansett; brother-in law Paul Cook and his wife Marcia of Cincinnati, Ohio; fifteen nieces and nephews and their children.   

The immediate family will gather for a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Pius V Church in Providence. Mass will be live streamed and there will be an American Sign Language interpreter via the link below. A celebration of his life will take place later when it is safe to gather. 

In lieu of flowers, donations could be made to Friends c/o Rhode Island School for the Deaf, 1 Corliss Park Providence, RI 02903 or the John “Duffy” Dwyer ‘76 Endowment c/o La Salle Academy, 612 Academy Ave. Providence, RI 02908.

The family thanks all of John’s extended family and friends who have been so supportive during this past year.