Funeral held for Highland Park shooting victim Kevin McCarthy, young dad whose wife was also killed
A funeral service for Highland Park shooting victim Kevin McCarthy was held Monday afternoon, six days after his wife, who was also killed, was laid to rest.
Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, were among seven people fatally shot when a suspect opened fire during the Fourth of July parade, injuring dozens more. The couple are survived by their 2-year-old son, Aiden, who was with them when the gunfire broke out and was scooped up by a stranger and later reunited with his grandfather at the police station.
Outside of a funeral home in Skokie Monday afternoon before the service, mourners filled all the parking spaces and used nearby lots for overflow.
An online obituary noted that McCarthy died “celebrating our nation’s independence with his young family.” The notice described him as a “jubilant father to Aiden” and “exuberant husband to Irina” who was known as “Uncle Kevvie” to one relative.
“Kevin was charming, warm, bright, and brought the fun to every situation. He was mischievous, a generous friend and kind to everyone who he met. Kevin’s irrepressible zest for life and his family and friends will remain with us always,” his family wrote.
Unlike his wife’s service — held July 12 at a nearby funeral home in Skokie — Kevin McCarthy’s funeral was not livestreamed.
Irina McCarthy’s co-workers were among those who spoke at her funeral.
“Our hearts are shattered,” Rabbi Dovid Flinkenstein said at the service. “The pain is unbearable. There are rivers of tears. We don’t want to be here, nor should we be here today.”
Irina McCarthy’s father, Michael Levberg, told the Tribune the day after the shooting that his grandson asked about his parents when Levberg picked up the boy at the police station. “He said, ‘Are Mommy and Daddy coming soon?’ He doesn’t understand.”
Mourners at Irina McCarthy’s funeral vowed to carry on the couple’s memory for their orphaned son.
“Aiden will become well aware of what a wonderful mom he was blessed with and will feel the love from the solid tracks she laid,” a co-worker said.
The couple lived in Highland Park. Kevin McCarthy worked for Jaguar Gene Therapy in Lake Forest, according to LinkedIn and published reports. Irina McCarthy worked at the North Chicago-based pharmaceutical company AbbVie, where she was a manager in oncology, according to LinkedIn. They met while working for a digital health marketing firm in the north suburbs.
An online fundraiser for their son has raised more than $3.2 million.
