Obituary of Kathleen Mercer McLarty

McLarty, Kathleen Mercer “Kathy”, 65, passed away April 13, 2021 at her home in Clearwater, FL. Born and raised in Chicago Ill, she graduated from Notre Dame University and Mother McAuley High School & Holy Redeemer Elementary School. Kathy was preceded in death by her father, George Mercer; stepfather, Jerome Whalen; and her brother, Richard Mercer. Kathy is survived by her mother, Dorothy Whalen; husband, John McLarty; 2 daughters and their husbands, Amy and Alex Sunnarborg and Chrissy and Allen Whisler; and her siblings, William Mercer, and Marilyn Terry. She enjoyed two careers, most recently at United Airlines, and previous to that in computer sales with IBM. Kathy fiercely loves her family and friends and is loved by many. Kathy is a strong Irish Catholic woman best known for being friendly, outgoing, down to earth, witty, loving, personable, spontaneous, adventurous & kind. She has never met a stranger and is not just a friend but a best friend to many. Kathy genuinely loved people, she always said we should all treat a homeless person on the side of the street and the president of the United States both with the utmost respect, we’re all human. Kathy’s friend’s coined her as having the “Million Watt Smile” because her smile and love for life are contagious. Her smile, beauty, charm, grace, laughter, and spirit will be remembered by all who know and love her.

Since October, Kathy’s health progressively and rapidly declined physically and mentally. One day she was walking fine, 2 weeks later needed a cane, 2 weeks later a walker, 2 weeks later a wheelchair and then the mental decline began. Months of doctors’ appointments and tests found nothing wrong...until January. We took our mom/wife/best friend to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where she was diagnosed with the (extremely rare) sporadic strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Doctors don’t know where the disease comes from, there is no cure & she was given 3-6 months to live. To learn more about the rare disease that took Kathy or to donate to help further medical research click here: https://cjdfoundation.org/donate.

In lieu of flowers we would love to hear your best stories and memories with or about Kathy below. Someone wise once said that Grief is the price we pay for love...a price well worth paying. As Kathy’s family we feel like the luckiest people in the world for the love God continues to surround us with until we can be reunited with Kathy again.