James McCarthy

James Michael McCarthy, affectionately known by his friends and family as Jim, Jimmy, Jimbo, Mac, and other names, died in Las Cruces at 84 years old on November 26, 2025, following a fight with c.diff. 

Jim was born in Alton, La., on December 4, 1940. He grew up in Granville, La., graduated from St. Joseph’s High School (now Spalding Catholic) in 1959, where he played baseball and was an all-Diocesan basketball player, and received his bachelor degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Ia. 

Afterward, he received his master’s degree in physical recreation from Adams State College in 1974. Jim also studied at the University of Northern Iowa, the University of New Mexico, and the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics. His professional life was in education, teaching and coaching at several high schools, and he retired from New Mexico Tech in Socorro after over 20 years as Director of Physical Recreation. 

Jim enjoyed gardening, woodworking, bicycling, and running, and ran 26 marathons. (Jim was as swift as he was humble. He broke the 3-hour marathon barrier four times, and four of his races were actually “ultramarathons”, completed at the grueling Sandia Crossing race outside Albuquerque, NM, spanning 28.5 rugged miles from Tijeras Canyon to Placitas.) He also once joined Muhammed Ali for a 4am training run in 1976 during the world champion boxer’s five-day visit to Socorro to participate in Dick Gregory’s Food Run. 

An ardent basketball coach and fan, he managed youth league teams and loved running “skills & drills” workshops for players just on the cusp of making their school teams. He spent March weekends with his family at The Pit, home of the high school state championships. There, he always seemed to find or make yet another friend (the only excuse he ever needed to meet someone was the simple fact that they were there). 

Jim was a carpenter, tinker, and creator, crafting and sending wood puzzles to his children and grandchildren and taking delight in any wood project - he made countless tables and chairs and would give them away readily to family and friends. He loved taking his family to peaceful places like Carlsbad Caverns, the Bosque del Apache, White Sands, or any quiet park to sit, share a meal, and listen. His wife and children look back fondly on his appreciation of people, culture, and the outdoors, manifested in hours watching sunrises, looking for fossils, visiting New Mexico’s pueblos, petroglyphs and ghost towns, and never failing to ask people about their lived experiences. 

Jim loved playing scrabble, gin rummy, and 500 with his wife, Reina, as well as listening to her play guitar and sing both at home and at Mass. The two built a house together while living in Mexico and never left a home as they found it, always finding ways to add their own creative flair.

Later in life, Jim was a regular at the Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center, where he could be found floating on his back, grilling the lifeguards on the classes they were taking at NMSU, or walking laps with new friends on every visit. He appreciated interfaith conversations and, most importantly, holding contemplative space with others on faith and family - and their roles on a person’s approach to life. 

Jim is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Reina, daughter Allison Anne Morris of Burleson, Tx., and son Jaime Miguel McCarthy of Washington, DC. He is survived by his three grandchildren Aryan Cumpian, Alliyah Stevenson-McCarthy, and Alijah Morris. He was preceded in death by parents Gerald and Edna McCarthy, two brothers, Duane and Terrance McCarthy, and three sisters, Carol Holles, Kay Reimer and Patricia Martin. He is survived by Mary (Gerald) Schomer, Michael (Rizalina) McCarthy, and Brad McCarthy. He is remembered by family, friends, students, runners, basketball and baseball players the world over.

A funeral Mass and memorial celebration will be held at Our Lady of Health in Las Cruces at 1:00pm on Wednesday, December 17, with a rosary preceding at 12:30pm. In lieu of flowers, please go for a run or walk, listen to some Kris Kristofferson, or consider contributions to organizations with missions close to Jim’s heart: Annunciation House (annunciationhouse.org),Casa de Peregrinos (casadeperegrinos.org), El Centro de los Pobres (P.O. Box 304, 212 East US Hwy 50, Avondale, CO 81022), KRWG (alwaysanaggie.org/donate/give-to-krwg/), Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (mvcommunityofhope.org), Our Lady of Health (1178 N. Mesquite, Las Cruces, NM 88001), or Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati (5900 Delhi Rd, Mount St. Joseph, Ohio 45051).