Mary P. McCarthy

Mary P. Grendler McCarthy, 85, of Sioux City passed away Sunday, April 12, 2015, at Holy Spirit Retirement Home.
Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Cathedral of the Epiphany. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with the family present 5 to 8 p.m., a rosary at 4:30 p.m. led by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Larkin Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home. Online condolences may be sent to www.christysmith.com .
Mary Patricia Grendler was born on Sept. 7, 1929, to Albert Otto and Winifred Hansen Grendler, in Yankton, S.D. Her father worked for the Milwaukee Railroad, and his job required the family to move frequently during her childhood. The years living in Jefferson, S.D., were always special to Mary and her family. There she made lifelong friends and valued her education at St. Peter's School. In 1944, the family moved to Sioux City. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1948. Following in her mother's footsteps, Mary decided to become a nurse and graduated from St. Joseph Mercy School for Nursing in 1951. Her nursing career was spent at St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital and Marian Health Center. She served as a staff nurse, supervisor, director of nursing, vice president of ambulatory care, director of volunteers, and patient representative (a program she delighted in developing). Caring for polio patients, developing patient services as cancer care, home care and hospice, refining emergency care networks, and listening to patients and their families, staff, and physicians were all valued parts of her professional life.
The Sisters of Mercy were Mary's teachers, supervisors, and many became dear friends. They helped her hone her nursing abilities, sense of service, and compassion. After retirement in 1995, Mary enjoyed setting her own schedule. She volunteered with many organizations, including Holy Spirit Retirement Home and the Rosehill Neighborhood Association. Her retirement years were blessed with the arrival of grandchildren. Teaching them to tie shoes, play cards, and watch the sunset were all beloved activities.
She was a member of Cathedral of the Epiphany Parish, Catholic Daughters of Americas Ave Maria Court 269, Mercy Medical Center Auxiliary, St. Joseph Mercy School of Nursing Alumni, Eagle Fraternal Order 2942 in South Sioux City, and Sun Valley Ladies Golf Club. In 1996, she made a hole-in-one at Sun Valley. She greatly enjoyed her golf- and card-playing friends and the time and friendship they shared. The Iowa Great Lakes were special to Mary throughout her life. Her parents took their children to Lake Okoboji when visiting the Grendler family in Everly, Iowa. Saving money all year for a week at Okoboji was something she and her children did for decades. Nothing was better than a day at Arnolds Park, and she spent her 80th birthday there with her grandchildren. A gift from her son, Tom, enabled her to purchase a cabin with her brother on Big Spirit Lake. It was her peaceful retreat that she lovingly shared with family and friends.
Mary volunteered at Holy Spirit Retirement Home for years because it's a good place. She visited residents and families, helped with care review, cards, and bunco. In December 2014, when Mary's health weakened due to cancer, she was welcomed at Holy Spirit with skilled care, playful humor, and tenderness. The compassionate care of the staff of Holy Spirit and Hospice of Siouxland was a blessing to Mary and her family.
Those left to honor her memory include her children, Mary Colette McCarthy of Coralville, Iowa, Karen McCarthy and her husband, Ken Todd, of Sergeant Bluff, and Dennis McCarthy and his wife, Kris, of Sioux City; grandchildren, Maddie and Anna McCarthy, and James Todd; stepgrandchildren, Erin and Erik Todd; sister, Emilie "Sally" Grendler of Sioux City; brother, the Rev. Albert O. Grendler Jr. of Okoboji; other relatives; and many fun-loving and kind friends and neighbors.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Thomas; and sisters, Joan Grendler Shaw and Dorothy Grendler Persinger.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Holy Spirit Retirement Home or Hospice of Siouxland. Her family also asks that good and anonymous deeds be done to honor their beloved Mother Mary, Nana, sister, and friend.
We love you Mom. XOXOXO.