Obituary Notice: Alice Miller McCarthy, 1938–2026

A Celebration of Life for Alice Miller McCarthy will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, 5200 Fannin St., on Saturday, September 19, at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow in Channing Hall.

Alice Miller McCarthy treasured courage, compassion, curiosity, and humor above all else. She lived her life through those values, striving always to show kindness, to understand others, and to get things right. She would likely agree that “a little criticism” had its place among her guiding principles—not out of harsh judgment, but because her deep caring, fierce integrity, and commitment to justice demanded honesty, and because one should never be denied the joy of being corrected or the opportunity for self-improvement.

Alice was born on January 13, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Alice McCarthy Miller and Dr. Morrell Waldo Miller. She died on September 3, 2026, at Houston Hospice after a short but mighty battle with metastatic lung cancer, less than six months after completing her 18th Buffalo Bayou Canoe Regatta as half of team “Octopussy” with her sister, Susan.

She grew up in New Orleans, where she delighted in the independence of riding the streetcar across the city, sailing on Lake Pontchartrain, riding horses, doting on many beloved dogs, and spending cherished summers at both Camp Monterey in Tennessee and at her grandpa’s home in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania. It was while traveling on those streetcars, however, that she first confronted the devastating reality of segregation and her own privilege—an experience that sparked her lifelong commitment to social justice.

Alice attended the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and All Saints Episcopal School in Vicksburg, Mississippi. As a child, she acted in radio plays and commercials with her sister and won a public art contest designing an advertisement for a local beer company. She earned an A.A. from Stephens College and a B.A. in English from Newcomb College, where she co-founded the championship sailing club and graduated with high academic honors. After college, she married and, with her husband, Charlie, moved to the U.S. Naval Base in Subic Bay, Philippines, for two years, teaching ESL and traveling widely to satisfy her boundless curiosity and love of learning.

Alice moved to Texas in 1961 with her young family and settled in Houston to raise her three children. In the 1960s and ’70s, when doors were closed to women seeking meaningful work, Alice refused to shrink. She poured herself into desegregating Houston Independent School District, nurturing the city’s growing arts community, crafting legendary Halloween costumes, building furniture, volunteering at domestic violence and elder service organizations, and immersing herself in the burgeoning feminist movement. She returned to school twice for graduate degrees—first at the University of Houston for Future Studies and then at the University of Maryland for Public Design. Between earning those two degrees, she founded one of Houston’s first woman-owned contracting companies, A.M. McCarthy Co. In every home she renovated or built, she left a trace of her vision with the beauty and care that shaped her life, through every project, every experience, and every cherished relationship.

Alice adored Houston—its people, culture, diversity, its humid heat, the many communities of which she was part, and its endless possibility. She lit up rooms with her smile, her gracious Southern hospitality, and her witty T-shirts. She “accosted” strangers to ask whether they were registered to vote, and if they were not, she lectured them about exercising rights and civic responsibility. She dreamed of living long enough to see Texas turn blue—not for politics alone, but for the promise of a more just world.

She fought for women, LGBTQIA+ folks, and racial justice with the stamina of someone who believed change was not just possible, it was necessary. She belonged to Hyde Park Civic Association, the overall Montrose community, the Houston Women’s Group, PFLAG, Tikkun, Bull Terrier Club of America, and the YMCA, where she found a second family. In her later years, she stood at the front of protests with her fellow elders, leaning on canes, holding signs, refusing to surrender her belief in democracy, dignity, and freedom.

Alice loved nature, humanity, and dogs—especially dogs—and she found beauty in small, ordinary things. She welcomed people into her home with Southern hospitality and a grace that made them feel valued. She grew throughout her life, reading insatiably, always willing to examine herself, to repair harm, and to evolve.

Alice is survived by her children: Kirsten Tuohy (Seamus Tuohy), Shannon McCarthy (Mary Jo Kane), and Kevin McCarthy (Beverly Bontrager).

She is also survived by her sister Susan Hill; brother-in-law Rodney Hill; her grandchildren Miller Tuohy, Finn McCarthy, Angus McCarthy (Mary Claire), Tempest Kane McCarthy, Avery Smith (Tyler), and Elise Peters; her nephew Bunker Hill; and niece Brooke Hill-Lohle.

The family would like to thank all of Alice’s friends who provided support to her throughout the past six months of illness, as well as Houston Hospice, in particular her amazing nurse, Minkah Frampton.

Alice leaves behind a world she worked tirelessly to improve. She was an intricate, complicated, renaissance woman ahead of her time—devoted to people, relationships, justice, and truth. Yet she often lamented that she was “not meant for this millennium,” frustrated by toxic polarization and the isolating pull of technology. She never stopped fighting for a better future with her trademark courage, curiosity, and sense of humor.

Good night, Alice—Mom, Lita, Sharine. You are forever in all of us.

Alice was laid to rest on Friday, September 11, per her wishes, in a green burial at the Blazing Star Sanctuary outside Houston. The family invites you to a Celebration of Life at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, 5200 Fannin St., on Saturday, September 19, at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow in Channing Hall.

In lieu of flowers, please vote and convince someone else to do the same!