Eva Marie McCarthy, age 94, of Hanover, IL, passed away peacefully on January 25, 2026. Cremation rites have been accorded.

Eva was born December 4, 1931, in Raisinville Township, in Monroe County, Michigan, the daughter of Henry and Edna (Heiden) Berns. She grew up in Dundee and Monroe, Michigan, graduating from Dundee High School with the class of 1952. In Rothbury, MI, she worked as a hostess, at J & J Ranch, where guests would visit for their summer vacations. It was here where she would meet her husband, Dennis McCarthy. They would go on to have a daughter together.

Eva moved to Illinois and became a teacher’s aide and librarian for Elizabeth schools, where her loving care and professionalism benefited students and staff, alike. She later worked for Eagle Ridge Inn, in the Galena Territory, as a smiling face at the front desk, and in various women’s retail stores over the years. She had a gift of hospitality that made her workplace and home warm and welcoming. She treasured her family and many friends, and loved her pretty things she collected over the years; each with its own story or memory.

Eva was a charter member of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in her Michigan days, and kept faith as a central part of her life in the decades after. Her faith in God gave her strength and guided her positive attitude and fun spirit. She was a very caring and loving mother, and she developed a deep bond with her daughter, Kelly, even living with her in her final years. They were best friends and enjoyed countless adventures together.

Eva is survived by her daughter Kelly McCarthy, of Hanover; sisters, Laura (Dale) Shoemaker and Linda (Dick) Miller; father of their daughter, and former husband, Dennis McCarthy; and many nieces and nephews.

Eva is preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Edna; brothers, Walter (Madelyn) Berns and Lavern (Sallie) Berns; sister, Doris (Gerhardt) Althoff.