Obituary for Clarence E. McCartney
On March 7, 2023 and at the age of 99 years, Clarence ‘Ed’ McCartney passed away peacefully at his residence in Weatogue, CT. He along with his late sister, Daisy, were born and grew up in Lansdowne, PA during the Great Depression. Ed was on his high school wrestling team. When World War II began, although eligible for a deferment due to his defense-related employment, he instead allowed himself to be drafted at the age of eighteen and served in the U.S. Army. He was a survivor of Exercise Tiger (a ‘live fire’ rehearsal for D-Day where hundreds of soldiers lost their lives) and the D-Day landing itself (Utah). Ed was a member of the 3939th Quartermaster Battalion which was tasked with delivering gasoline for use in military vehicles. At the end of the war, he returned to the states where he resumed working at General Electric. He then met his late wife, Dorothy, at a dance and ultimately married her. He took advantage of the GI BILL and got his Electrical Engineering degree at Drexel University. Together, he and Dorothy raised five boys. He absolutely loved to go on 3-4 week vacations with his family including his in-laws. He and his family have vacationed in almost every state of the United States, except for Hawaii. The Alaska trip was particularly memorable. He also took his family to Europe, Mexico, Canada, Freeport and Nassau.
He and Dorothy bought their first house on Willowbrook Circle in Broomall, PA (1958-1975) where he loved tending his huge backyard garden. Due to a job transfer at General Electric, the family moved to Simsbury, CT in 1976 and Ed remained there even after his retirement. Ed would engage his boys in family activities like science projects, making home made root beer and garden-related chores. He also produced home made beer but most people who tasted it did not consider that project to be a successful endeavor. As a child of the Great Depression, Ed was incredibly frugal and was able to pass that trait on to several of his sons and even to his grandchildren.
Ed never missed an Army reunion and was very active in organizing these events. Since he outlived most of his fellow soldiers in the 3939th, there eventually was no one left to gather with. He then joined some fellow vets in Ohio for a number of years until their numbers also dwindled. Ed returned to Normandy multiple times most recently in 2019 with the Greatest Generation Foundation for the 75th memorial of the D-Day invasion. On some of his Normandy trips, he was able to find some of the French civilians whom he first met during the time of the invasion. These people continued to be very appreciative of their liberation efforts.
Ed was always a steady, quiet, humble and incredibly calm person who will be greatly missed by his family. He is survived by his 5 sons, David, Mark, Paul, Robert and Kenneth, as well as 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Calling hours will be held at the Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT on Thursday, March 30h from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, March 31st at the funeral home. Donations in Ed’s memory may be sent to K9s For Warriors, 114 Camp K9 Road, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081 or made online at for online tributes.
He and Dorothy bought their first house on Willowbrook Circle in Broomall, PA (1958-1975) where he loved tending his huge backyard garden. Due to a job transfer at General Electric, the family moved to Simsbury, CT in 1976 and Ed remained there even after his retirement. Ed would engage his boys in family activities like science projects, making home made root beer and garden-related chores. He also produced home made beer but most people who tasted it did not consider that project to be a successful endeavor. As a child of the Great Depression, Ed was incredibly frugal and was able to pass that trait on to several of his sons and even to his grandchildren.
Ed never missed an Army reunion and was very active in organizing these events. Since he outlived most of his fellow soldiers in the 3939th, there eventually was no one left to gather with. He then joined some fellow vets in Ohio for a number of years until their numbers also dwindled. Ed returned to Normandy multiple times most recently in 2019 with the Greatest Generation Foundation for the 75th memorial of the D-Day invasion. On some of his Normandy trips, he was able to find some of the French civilians whom he first met during the time of the invasion. These people continued to be very appreciative of their liberation efforts.
Ed was always a steady, quiet, humble and incredibly calm person who will be greatly missed by his family. He is survived by his 5 sons, David, Mark, Paul, Robert and Kenneth, as well as 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Calling hours will be held at the Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT on Thursday, March 30h from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, March 31st at the funeral home. Donations in Ed’s memory may be sent to K9s For Warriors, 114 Camp K9 Road, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081 or made online at