Theodore Maccarrick

Theodore “Ted” Leo MacCarrick, 77, of Ithaca, New York, passed away on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at Cayuga Medical Center surrounded by his family.

Ted was born October 31, 1939 in Ithaca, New York to the late Edward and Barbara (Bell) MacCarrick. He was the middle sibling of three children. Growing up, he enjoyed hunting and fishing at Black Lake with family. He began his school years at the one room schoolhouse in Willow Creek and later graduated from Trumansburg Central School. He excelled in football, basketball and baseball while in high school and would love to tell the story of how Coach Tarbell would pick him up every morning for school to make sure that “Teddy” and “Bobby” would play for T-burg. This love of playing sports would continue through his retirement years. He was a lifelong follower of the Trumansburg sports teams and programs and was very honored to be inducted into the Trumansburg Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Ted worked his entire adult life at Auto Body Works in Ithaca. The business was started in 1917 by Edward Akers. In 1935, Ted’s father Ed joined the business, and later, Ted was introduced to auto body car repair when he began working summers for his father from 1953 to 1957. After graduating from Trumansburg in 1957, Ted began working full-time at Auto Body Works, and later went on to buy the business from his parents in 1969, where he continued to work up until the time of his death. His loyal and longtime customers appreciated his attention to detail when it came to his craftsmanship. He believed if that if you had a job to do, “it needed to be done right and done right the first time”. He prided himself in being a “tell it like it is type of man” and encouraged everyone to always do their best. If he gave you constructive criticism it was because he knew you could do better and he only wanted you to strive to achieve that. He never sat still for long (unless it was to watch a sporting event or a grandchild’s recital) as he believed “there was always too much to do and too little time to do it” but he was never too busy to ask how you were doing with the usual “what’s new and exciting?”.

Anyone close to Ted knew that his love for sports and hunting was second only to the love for his family and friends. He was an avid bowler (both regular and on machines) and was an excellent trap shooter at the Maple Lane Club, Finger Lakes Trap League and the Spot Trap Team. Age never hindered Ted from continuing his active participation in sports. He played for numerous softball teams in both the Ithaca and Syracuse area, including Glenwood Pines, Auto Body Works, Southside Fuel Co., Ithaca’s Over 55, Syracuse Cyclones, Syracuse Over 55’s, 60’s, 65’s, 70’s and 75’s, just to name a few. Ted was a part of the Triple Grand Slam winning softball team in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2014 (at the age of 75). His team won the Eastern Nationals, US Nationals, and the World Masters Championship. He was a member of the Jacksonville Methodist Church, Trumansburg Class of 1957, Trumansburg Senior Citizens, The Eagles and Loyal Order of Moose, NYS Sheriff’s Assoc., Senior Softball USA, and the National Rifle Association plus several others.

Ted is survived by his life’s partner of twenty-three years, Bev Doolittle (Ithaca), his four children, Paul (Shannon) MacCarrick (Trumansburg), Amy (Billy) Kenney (Trumansburg), Dan (Cathy Cole) MacCarrick (Lake Helen, Florida), and Tamara MacCarrick (Charlotte, N. Carolina), his grandchildren, Jacob (Gretchen), Theodore, Rachel, Elizabeth and Charlotte MacCarrick, Chelsey (Juston) Smith, Zachary and Dalton Kenney, LaRanda (Bobbi) Cartner, Kolten MacCarrick and Mikaela Cole. He is also survived by his brother, Bob (Lynne) MacCarrick (Lake Placid, Florida), and his sister Sharon Shearin (Sanford, N. Carolina) and their families.

A reception in celebration of Ted’s life will be held on Sunday, June 25, from 2:00-5:00 PM at the Trumansburg American Legion Post 770. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Ted MacCarrick scholarship fund set up in his memory. Donations should be sent c/o Tompkins Trust Company, PO Box 702, Trumansburg, NY 14886.