Patricia Kearney - McCarty

Patricia Kearney-McCarty, author of the Auntie P series of children’s books, died peacefully on February 14, 2026. Born in Brooklyn and reared on Long Island, she was just a few days from her eighty-second birthday. Her books, featuring fictionalized versions of her beloved grandnieces and nephews, promote sharing, grace and positivity— virtues her own life embodied. A woman of sophistication and exquisite taste, Patricia traveled the world with the friends she made while living in the upper east side of New York City. Her love of theater led to her involvement with the legendary Quiagh Theater under the direction of founder Will Lieberson. It was there she met her husband, musician, playwright and artist Ernest McCarty. Patricia retired from her executive assistant role with the law firm Chadbourne & Parke in the early 1990s. She then moved to Pittsburgh and took up residence in its vibrant Lawrenceville neighborhood. While writing her own books, Patricia produced several of Ernest’s plays and CDs, bringing her knowledge of the theater and her administrative skills to bear on his efforts. Through their work and philanthropy, the couple had an appreciable impact on the jazz and theater scenes in Pittsburgh. Patricia was preceded in death by her husband Ernest; her parents, Michael Kearney and Veronica Heffernan Kearney; her sister Janet Kearney Flory; and her much-loved nieces Barbara and Ardith Flory. She is survived by her sisters Carole Kearney Scheier (Floyd) and Michalene Kearney Verona, and her many nieces and nephews, whose children are so wonderfully depicted in the books she wrote. A private memorial service is planned in New York for the spring. In lieu of cards, the family suggests donations to Pittsburgh’s Kinetic Theater, the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater, the New Horizon Theater, WZUM FM, or the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. As Auntie P says in Positively Upbeat!, “Let’s do our best to stay Positive!” Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the McKinney - d'Argy Funeral Home, 345 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825. Online condolences and other information may be found by visiting www.dargyfh.com