Michael McCarty Obituary

Michael McCarty of Belle Plaine, MN passed away at the age of 68 on October 26, 2025 at his home. Michael John McCarty was born July 27, 1957 in Minneapolis and grew up in Wayzata, MN with his parents John and Darlene McCarty, older brother Mark and younger sister Mary. He married Nancy Ann Eberle on August 7, 1993 in Prior Lake, MN and they raised their son Alex in Belle Plaine, MN.
A shipping manager for Indigo Signs/Sign Source in Chanhassen, MN for 20 years, Michael spent his career in the printing and graphic design industry, also working at Target and Delta Dental. Creative and innovative, he came up with solutions to problems by building his own unique designs, including a document feeder for a printing press and custom shipping boxes for signs. He loved working and only retired reluctantly at age 67 because of health issues.
Michael enjoyed trips to his father's childhood home in Phillips, WI his entire life. He also loved the outdoors and beauty of northern Wisconsin and scenic places like Taylors Falls, MN, going on biking trips and exploring when he was younger. Visits to Phillips included canoeing and other adventures with his father's cousin Edmund, digging for antique bottles, staying in the summer and helping his grandmother Signe, holidays and birthdays with relatives, and 4th of July and other events with his own family as his son Alex was growing up. When he became the owner of the family home there were also many trips for maintenance.
He also enjoyed working on his own home, a Victorian house on the main street in Belle Plaine, MN. He loved sharing old photos of the house and its history with curious passerbys, and also visitors at his yard sales and the annual cookout held in his yard during the Belle Plaine BBQ Days parade.
A lifelong learner, Michael was interested in and knowledgeable about history, especially the Lake Minnetonka area where he grew up, and enjoyed tourist destinations like Lanesboro, MN and Osceola, WI. He loved antiques, collectibles, thrift shops, garage sales and home goods stores. Thoughtful and sentimental, Michael always remembered others on holidays and occasions with carefully chosen cards and gifts. He prided himself on finding unique gifts, and frequently gave his mother interesting vintage items since she shared his love of glassware and china.
When he sat down to watch TV it was a lineup of classic shows like Batman and The Twilight Zone on his favorite channel, MeTV. He collected VCR tapes and enjoyed the History channel, old movies, British series like The Saint, James Bond movies, and 60's pop music culture. He researched topics online and loved sharing trivia with others and testing their knowledge (a conversation that would usually start with "Do you know who ?"). He spent hours in Barnes and Noble and frequented the bargain books section of coffee table photo books about classic cars, automobiles, trains, World War II and other history.
Michael loved going to the Minnesota State Fair every year, beginning when he was young with his dad and brother Mark and visits to machinery hill, and later with his wife Nancy and son Alex and sister Mary. His favorite things were the Creative Activities, 4-H and Fine Arts buildings, the antique cars under the Grandstand, the Minnesota Newspaper Museum and Heritage Square. It was always hard to get him to leave the fair in the evening because he had more he wanted to see; everyone else was tired and ready to go home.
He also enjoyed classic car roll-ins and the annual Auto Show at the Minneapolis convention center, especially the antique cars and unique cars like the Mini Cooper. Michael loved classic cars from the 50's and 60's, and read books and magazines about them in detail. He would always spot the old car in the background of a family photo, and knew exactly what it was. He owned older cars including a Ford Fairmont and Volvo, and liked working on cars. He was also his sister Mary's "mechanic," helping her with things like battery problems and tires.
Family was important to Michael. He enjoyed family get-togethers and shared a July birthday with his mother Darlene, one day apart. He also enjoyed museums and events when Alex was growing up, summer vacations, weekly Saturday night shopping trips to Mankato with Nancy and Alex, church and programs at St. John's Lutheran Church in Chaska, MN, and trips to visit Nancy's relatives in southern Minnesota. Easter was his favorite holiday, possibly because it was first celebrated at his grandmother's house in Phillips, WI.
Michael liked dogs and owned several during his life, a black lab named Charlie ("Nipper") when he was growing up, and a black lab and pit bull mix named Thomas when Alex was growing up. In his last months he enjoyed the therapy dogs at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, MN, and pet visits at The Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine, MN when he was there for rehab.
Michael will be greatly missed by his family, friends and acquaintances. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Darlene McCarty, grandmother Signe McCarty, grandparents Ralph and Vera Glass, uncle Ken (Kathy) Glass and father's cousin Edmund Olson. He is survived by his wife Nancy, son Alex (Marie), brother Mark, sister Mary, niece Erin (Jason), great-niece Goldie, cousins, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, and many other relatives and friends. Visitation 10 AM and funeral service 11 AM Wednesday November 5, 2025 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Chaska, MN, followed by a graveside service at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery and lunch at the church.
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