Corinne “Connie” McCarty

Corinne “Connie” McCarty of Mt. Lebanon, formerly of Valparaiso, IN, entered the loving arms of the Holy Spirit on August 6, 2026, passing away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 98. 

Connie was born and raised in the small town of Boone Grove, Indiana, where she spent time helping on her family’s farm and caring for the Jersey cows that she loved so much. She was a true and proud farm girl. 

At Boone Grove High School she sang in the choir and played clarinet, nurturing a love of music which would follow her all of her life. After high school, she attended Indiana University where she joined the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and earned a degree in teaching. She was a die-hard Hoosier, refusing even her grandchildren if Bobby Knight and the boys were playing, donning herself in red and white head to toe. 

Indiana was where she met Bob Gray; the two eventually moved to Pittsburgh to start their lives and family. She spent some time teaching, but devoted most of her time to being a mother to her four children. 

Later in life, after losing her first husband, she more than doubled the size of her family by marrying Chuck McCarty, another widower, and taking his five grown children as her own. The two connected on their shared love of music and their strong faith, expressing both through their involvement in the church choir. Connie’s faith sustained her through many trials, namely Chuck’s and her son’s deaths, as well as the stroke which left her partially paralyzed for eight years prior to her death. She was a devoted member of Mt. Lebanon Christian church for over seventy-two years.

Connie was sharp-witted with a great sense of humor, even to her last days. She loved to be the center of attention, loved a good gathering of people, especially if those people were her family. She adored taking care of the birds in her backyard oasis. She loved the blues and all kinds of music (and she liked it loud). She loved a good scotch but only one (or two) and only after 5:00. Her favorite food was Sarris chocolate. Most of all, she loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, recognizing and reminding each of their gifts on repeat. Many considered her a second mom, especially Bill Gray, a family friend who felt like a son to her, and her honorary grandson, Kevin. Her favorite phrases to her grandchildren were “hold your head high,” and to remember that “everything always works out.” 

You always left Connie feeling better. Her strength, positivity and acceptance were a gift to all who knew her. She never complained about her situation or her lot in life. She will be missed but we will hear her tender voice speaking to us whenever we need her and know that she is always a part of us.

Connie was the devoted and beloved wife of the late Charles McCarty. Loving mother of Dan (Cindy) Gray, the late Darryl Gray, Didi (Roy) Holmes, Chip (Beverly) Gray. Stepmother of Joan McCarty, Dave (Sara) McCarty, Nancy (Stephen) Lewis, Barbara McCarty, and John (Jane) McCarty. Cherished grandmother of Colin, Casey, Corilynn, Erika, Turner, and Jackson; great-grandmother of Anna, Ford, Chase, Parker, EJ, Weston, Grayclyn and Anastasia; also several nieces and nephews. Connie was preceded in death by her parents Coit and Alma Dolhover, her sister Lois Sullivan and her brother Richard Dolhover.

A celebration of Connie’s life will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Mt. Lebanon Christian Church, 367 Cedar Blvd., Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228. Memorial contributions may be made in Connie’s name to Mt. Lebanon Christian Church. Arrangments were entrusted to Pittsburgh Cremation & Funeral Care, McMurray, PA.