John Edward Carey

A celebration of John’s life will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 10 AM at the Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas. In lieu of flowers, John would prefer donations to be made in his memory to the American Parkinson Disease Association.

John was born in Houston to Edward Featherston Carey and Marion Neel Carey. His teen years were busy, and he spent multiple summers in Venezuela where he was proud to say he “learned enough Spanish to get a date.” During his high school years, he moved from Houston to Kermit, Texas. He rounded out his last two years of high school at Allen Military Academy in Bryan, Texas from where he graduated in 1959.

John continued school at the University of Houston and earned his CPA. While he “dabbled” in accounting, he preferred architecture and construction much more with a side of artwork. John went on to design, build and remodel many buildings and apartments, including building his own home in Georgetown. One of his proudest achievements was being the general contractor to build his son’s “forever home” in North Carolina, where his grandchildren had a beautiful place to grow up.

In 1961, he married his first love, Phyllis Milliger Carey. They lived in Houston where they had two children together, Brian in 1961 and Michelle in 1969. John and Phyllis went their separate ways in 1974, but remained friends the rest of their years even after John moved to the Austin area in 1990.

Outside of schooling and family, John was incredibly active. He started playing golf in high school and was an avid (and very good) golfer through his adulthood. John enjoyed boating, sailing and waterskiing when his kids were young. He spent much time at Lake Livingston and Galveston Bay, usually in his camper, or a hammock. He was also a serious runner, a Master Swimmer and triathlon competitor. However, according to him, his favorite sport was “chasing tail.” When he wasn’t running and swimming, he enjoyed entertaining and social events. As part of his social life, John enjoyed contra dancing and it was at one of these dance sessions where he met his “main squeeze,” Marie Edwards in 2011. John participated in a men’s group fellowship regularly, even in his final weeks and was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church.

John will be remembered for his razor wit and terrific sense of humor. Part of his lighthearted approach to life was installing an antique clawfoot bathtub on his back porch where he would soak while wearing his burnt orange cap and white sunglasses. He was a huge fan of the Longhorn women, especially the volleyball team. I think he liked them because they reflected his tenacity and fire (and were good looking).

Grandpa John loved his visits with his grandchildren and great grandchildren, and often traveled to see them. He cheered them on at numerous football and soccer games including adding his voice to the crowd celebrating Jonathan’s Ultimate Frisbee State Championship. One of his favorite perks of visiting the grandkids was when he would soak in the hot tub until he looked like a prune. It never failed that he would ask “Can you make it hotter?” even when the heater was maxed out. He always followed up with “Are you sure it can’t go any hotter?”

One of John’s most important dates was July 15, 1988. This was his first day of sobriety, and he was an active participant in Alcoholics Anonymous ever since. His sober journey was probably more impactful than he realized, and he inspired others to improve their lives and pursue the path to sobriety.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Marion Carey. He is survived by his life partner, Marie Edwards, his brother Stephen Carey, his children Brian Edward Carey (Colleen), Michelle Adele Costello (Stuart Smith), his grandchildren Clayton Carey, Lauren Snyder (Matthew), Brandon Costello (Shelby), Trevor Costello, Jonathan Costello and Tatianna Carey, and his great grandchildren Ivy, Kylan and Wrenley Costello and by his diminutive and fiercely loyal feline Tigre (pronounced Tigger).