John McCarroll, born Sept. 5, 1953 in Kilsyth, Scotland, United Kingdom, passed away with his family by his side on Feb. 2 at Midstate Hospital in Meriden.
A longtime resident of Northford, he was the husband of 40 years to Cynthia Dudow McCarroll. He was the son of the late Bridget McManus McCarroll and Edward McCarroll and loving and adoring father to Justine (James) Lovelace of North Branford and Jonathon McCarroll and his fiancé Taylor DePalma of Branford. He is also survived by his two precious gems, his granddaughters, Eden Rae Lovelace and Cora James Lovelace. He also leaves behind his sweet rescue dog Josie.
He was the brother to George (Paula) McCarroll of East Haven, Raymond (Donna) McCarroll of East Haven, and Stephen (Kimberly) McCarroll of Branford; beloved brother-in-law to Alexis Dudow Nichols of Madison; and dear friend James Carr of Killingworth.
John graduated from East Haven High School in 1971 at the age of 17. John worked in capital engineering as a construction inspector for Metro North for 35 years until his retirement in 2013. John worked as an oil rig laborer in Greece, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia during his travels throughout Europe. John was also a carpenter by trade.
He loved golfing and reading the daily paper, was a connoisseur of music, loved creating art with his granddaughter Eden, was an avid Yankee fan, had affinity for nice cars and volunteering, and was known for coaching many youth sports teams and most of all spending time with his family, especially with his granddaughters. John was also known to some as “Poppa Jags.” John loved raising German shepherds and in his later years with rescue dogs. John will be missed for his beautiful thick hair and big blue eyes, and mostly his huge heart. “I am not an Englishman, I was never an Englishman, and I don’t ever want to be one. I am a Scotsman! I was a Scotsman and I will always be one.” -Sean Connery.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 11, at St. George Church, 33 Whitfield Street, Guilford. Friends may call prior to Mass from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday morning, at Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford. Burial will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Rescue Dogs Rock, P.O. Box 101, Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028 https://rescuedogsrocknyc.org. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.
