John
Joseph Carey, Jr. was born December 18, 1878 in Chicago, Illinois. He was
the son of John Joseph Carey and Mary Harrigan. John grew up in a tough,
working-class Irish neighborhood, which John said was full of rowdies.
His home, at 157 Bunker St. was within five or six blocks of where Mrs.
O'Leary's cow supposedly kicked over a lantern, starting the Chicago Fire.
John
grew up in a large and very close family, with seven brothers and four
sisters. He was able to finish his schooling through the sixth grade, before
going to work to help support the family. He was a responsible young man.
When he was fourteen he promised his mother that he wouldn't drink, and
he never did. His father died when he was nineteen years old, and John
took responsibility for his younger brothers. He bought a pool table for
his brothers, and put it in the basement, so they wouldn't be out on the
streets. John and some other young friends liked to wear striped pants,
and cutaway coats to church, to help dispel the "roughneck Irish" image.
He was an usher at his Holy Family Catholic Church, and also a member of
the Knights of Columbus.
John married Mary Josephine Hickey on August 6, 1908 in Chicago, after a five-year engagement. At the time of their marriage they lived in the St. Aloysius parish. John worked at Marshall Fields, as a credit manager.
While in Chicago they had two sons: John Joseph, born in 1911; and Thomas Ignatius, born in 1913. John's strong ties to Chicago were broken when John got into a disagreement with Marshall Field, Jr., and John "told off" Marshall Fields, Jr.John was effectively blackballed in Chicago, and had to look outside the area for employment. He found work in San Francisco, and the family moved there. Before they left John was able to watch the homebound troops march down State St. at the end of World War I. (John returned to Chicago once, for his mother's funeral in 1924, taking the train on the southern route, and visiting New Orleans.)
John
came to California in early 1919, and the rest of the family followed six
months later. They lived in San Francisco for two years, then moved to
Berkeley, to 1427 Berkeley Way. Their last son, James Aloysius was born
on February 7, 1920. (His middle name was taken from the St. Aloysius parish
they had lived in when they were married.)
John
worked as a credit manager for the City of Paris, then Schlesinger's in
Oakland (which became Kahn's), and then received a better offer and returned
to work at City of Paris, in San Francisco. He worked at City of Paris
until he retired. He once wrote a story of his experiences, and the people
he met as a credit manager, for submission to Reader's Digest.
His
hobbies were photography- developing and printing film, and building radios.
He started building crystal sets in 1926, and was always building a bigger
and better one.
John
had a good sense of humor. When his granddaughter Alice was born he asked
her mother what she would name the baby. He said, "Name her anything but
Hazel." Why? "Because with all the names in the Bible you don't want to
name your kid after a nut!" He once offered to share a donut with Alice-
he'd keep the donut, and she'd get the hole.
John
died Tuesday, November 21, 1961 in Oakland, California at the age of 82,
and was buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery in San Pablo, California. He was
survived by his wife, three sons, and eight grandchildren.
Oakland
Tribune, Thursday, Nov. 23, 1961
STORE
CREDIT MANAGER DIES
BERKELEY-
John J. Carey, 82, long time credit manager with the City of Paris department
store in San Francisco, died in Oakland Tuesday.
He
lived at 3040 Halcyon Court and is survived by his wife, Mae; three sons,
John Jr., Thomas I. and James A.; two brothers, seven grandchildren, and
one great-grandchildren.
A
Rosary will be recited at 8 p.m. tomorrow and a Mass will be celebrated
at St. Augustine's Church at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Berkeley Hills Chapel
at 1600 Shattuck Ave. is in charge of arrangements.
Oakland
Tribune Obituary
CAREY,
John J., in Oakland, November 21, 1961, of 3040 Halcyon Court, Berkeley,
beloved husband of Mae H. Carey; loving father of John J. Carey Jr. of
El Cerrito, Thomas I. Carey of San Francisco and James A. Carey of Pleasant
Hill; brother of Patrick Carey of Chicago, Illinois, and Thomas A. Carey
of Long Beach; grandfather of Mrs. James Piper of Piedmont, Patrick T.
Carey of Berkeley, Mrs. Robert Barcklay of San Francisco, James M. Carey
of El Cerrito, Charles, Alice and Patrick Carey of Pleasant Hill; great-grandfather
of Patricia Marie Carey of Berkeley. A native of Illinois; aged 82 years.
Friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral Saturday,
November 25, leaving at 8:30 a.m. from the Berkeley Hills Chapel, 1600
Shattuck Avenue at Cedar, Berkeley, thence to St. Augustine's Church at
Alcatraz and Dana Streets, where a Mass of Requiem will be celebrated for
the repose of his soul, commencing at 9 a.m. Recitation of the Rosary Friday
at 8 p.m. Interment, St. Joseph's Cemetery.
For more pictures of John
Carey, click here.
If you have additional information about this family,
please contact me at alice@boydhouse.com.