William Mccartha

OZARK… Mr. William  E. McCartha, a resident of Ozark, died Peacefully early Thursday morning, March 3, 2022, at his home. He was 89.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 pm Saturday March 12 at the family home, 547 County Road 123 Ozark Al. 36360, for friends, family and anyone who would like to pay respects to Mr. McCartha.

William "Bill" Elisha McCartha was born in Georgiana, Alabama on December 18, 1932 and a native to the wiregrass. Mr. McCartha joined the Navy at 17 in 1949 and retired as a Chief Petty Officer after 32 years of service and returned to the wiregrass in 1982.
Mr. McCartha is the son of the late sharecropper , Sylvester McCartha and Elle Boatwright McCartha of Georgiana, Alabama and the oldest of 7 children.
He is survived by his wife Carolyn D. Strouse McCartha; his 4 children, Carole Ann Galey, William Walter McCartha, Mary Darlene Foster and Teresa Lynn Elkie; 12 grand children, Craig Galey, Kimberly Coyne, LeighAnne Johnson, Jennifer Person, Brandon Galey, Christopher Foster, William EJ McCartha, Patricia Rusak, Michael Elkie, Brian Elkie, Kathleene Sixberry, Paul McCartha; his siblings, Louise Kilpatrick, Perry Sylvester McCartha and Sarah Walker; 27 great grandchildren and  2 great great grandchildren.

At the age of 10 William started hunting and sharecropping, growing cotton and corn. He left school in the 8th grade to work full time to help his family and joined the Navy at 17 and traveled the world. He met his wife in Long Beach California in 1955 and later raised four children in Hawaii and Norfolk, Virginia before returning home to the Wiregrass after his retirement in 1982. He and his Wife Carolyn settled in Ozark, building their home by hand from the ground up. Mr. McCartha was a man of many trades and talents, there wasn't a skill he couldn't master. He gave his time freely to teach anyone willing to learn.  He loved gardening and could grow literally anything, his thumb was so green it was like a midas touch, anything he touched grew. He kept bees and learned to make cane syrup from his father. He enjoyed fishing, football and coffee as his pass times... Bill McCartha was a very well respected and loved man by all who knew him, none more than his Family.