Angela Carty

Angela (Angie), the youngest of six children, was born on a farm in Fyhora, County Longford, Ireland on August 9, 1944. When she was very young, her parents had to leave for America to make ends meet, so Angie and her siblings were raised by their grandmother in a thatched roof cottage with no electricity or running water, though they never felt they were lacking anything. She always said it was a lovely childhood. She immigrated to New York City in 1957 with three of her older sisters. After reuniting with her parents and older siblings in New York, her aunt, Sister Ellen Frances, arranged for Angie and two of her sisters to go to a Franciscan boarding school in Olean, New York. She loved her time in Olean and always spoke of it fondly. After high school, she worked at Citibank in New York City. With Mike Carty, her former husband, she had two children, Michael and Carolyn. Mike and Angie raised their children in the Woodlawn area of the Bronx while building their bar and restaurant business. In the 1970s, she went back to school and became a Registered Nurse. She worked at Columbia Presbyterian and St. Vincent’s Hospital. In 1993, Angie received a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and made dear friends through the adult education program there. In her fifties, she continued her education and received a Master’s degree in ESL Education at Manhattanville College and went on to teach at Manhattanville College.

Angie had a smile that would light up a room and a beauty that was felt by all around her. She was a true academic, and her living room bookshelves were a testament to her love for reading. She loved politics, history, and world issues, and her views were undoubtedly grounded in empathy. Her knowledge was endless, matched only by her humble grace. She had an adventurous spirit, loved to travel, and each decade tried something new, whether it was golf, skiing, yoga, bridge, or ballroom dancing. However, her greatest love was being a mother to Michael and Carolyn and grandmother to her five grandchildren–Jack, Michael, Niamh, Gavin and Kyra. Every summer she rented a house at the beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island where she would gather with her children and their families. She deeply understood the importance of spending time with aunts, uncles, and cousins, and these weeks have become some of her grandchildren’s happiest memories–along with the weekly Sunday dinners at her home where she would often serve “Grandma Angie’s famous meatballs.”

Angie’s presence could bring clarity to any problem and comfort any pain. She was someone you just wanted to be around. We will be forever grateful for her generous heart, constant listening ear, wisdom, and devotion to family and friends. Her beautiful essence will be with us forever and her beautiful life will continue to guide us.

Angie is survived by her children Michael Carty and Carolyn Sapontzis; daughter-in-law Liz Carty; son-in-law Tom Sapontzis; grandchildren Jack, Michael, and Niamh Carty, and Gavin and Kyra Sapontzis; sister Teresa O’Keeffe; former husband and father of her children Mike Carty; brother-in-law Johnny Donaghey; many nieces and nephews; and extended family in Ireland. She is predeceased in eternal life by her parents, Mary (nee Reilly) and Phillip Mulligan, sisters Anna Cavanagh, Rose Ellen Donaghey, and Marie Reilly, brother Noel Mulligan, as well as Peter Paul, who died as an infant.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in Angela’s name at https://give.michaeljfox.org/

Visitation will be held on Sunday from 4-7 pm at Becker Funeral Home, Westwood. Funeral Mass will be held on Monday 10:00 am at Our Lady of Mercy, Park Ridge. Interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY.