William J. "Jeff" McCarl

Jeff was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 32 years, Elaine; his parents, William and Jane (Crawford) McCarl; his brother, Joseph “Joe” (Dolly) McCarl; and his brother-in-law, Norbert Schmidt.

He is survived by his daughter, Meghan McCarl; his son, Morgan (Kathryn) McCarl; his cherished grandchildren, Finn Snoke, Gavin Craig, Thomas McCarl, and Margaret McCarl; his sister, Betsy Schmidt; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, extended family members, and many dear friends.

Jeff retired after more than 30 years of dedicated service to The Ohio State University, having worked at both the OSU Hospital and the Wexner Center for the Arts.

A passionate historian and reenactor, Jeff was an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism and a regular attendee at Pennsic, where he embraced his love of medieval history. He also enjoyed Cowboy Action Shooting, ARMA (Historical European Martial Arts), and anything related to the Old West.

A true enthusiast at heart, Jeff loved drawing, reading, westerns, riding motorcycles, and comic books—whether DC or Marvel, he loved them all. He was an avid collector of action figures, a lifelong OSU football fan who never missed a game, and a man who found joy in the little things. Known for his great sense of humor and youthful spirit, Jeff remained a “big kid at heart” throughout his life and was someone who seemed to know everyone.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Schoedinger Grove City, with visitation to follow until 4:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.