George Edward “Eddie” McCartney was born on a farm near Casey, Iowa, in Adair County May 5, 1931. He died at MercyOne Medical Center in West Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 13, 2020, at the age of 89 years and five months.
Eddie attended Casey Public Schools through sixth grade and loved helping his grandparents on their farms.
In 1942 the McCartneys moved to Bagley, Iowa, where Eddie spent the rest of his life.
Eddie attended Bagley Independent School, graduating in 1949.
As a boy, he delivered the Des Moines Register, mowed lawns, worked in the Gerald Anderson Grocery store and assembled machinery at the Gilliland Implement Co.
While in high school, Eddie was an outstanding athlete, playing baseball, basketball and football.
After high school, Eddie continued working for the Gilliland Implement Co., where his goal was to have all farm machinery in the area RED.
In 1951 Eddie was drafted into the U. S. Army, spending two years in the service of his country.
Eddie met Catherine “Katie” Hotaling, Bagley’s new English and home economics teacher, who was renting a room from Eddie’s parents. They married on June 12, 1954, in Walkill, New York, her hometown.
They returned to Bagley where they lived for 63 years. They were the proud parents of Linda and John, children they loved with all of their hearts.
Everybody in the area knew Eddie. He made friends wherever he went. His sales jobs at Gilliland Implement, a car dealership and Reuter’s Implement provided for his family while making it hard for Eddie to go anywhere without spotting a friend.
His love for his hometown helped the Bagley community for decades. He held leadership roles at Bagley United Methodist Church, Bagley Lions Club, Guthrie County’s Youth Foundation Board and was instrumental in promoting the Bagley Centennial in 1981.
Eddie’s love of horses was on display each summer when he entered his Shetland ponies in local parades.
In recent years, he spread joy at coffee shops, restaurants and senior citizen communities from Jefferson to Perry and Madrid, often accompanied by his helper and dear friend, Geri Shirbroun of Bayard.
Survivors include his daughter, Linda (Dave) Ketterer of Monticello, Indiana; his son, John of Houston; one grandson, Travis Ketterer; his brother, Keith (Beverlee) McCartney of Ashburn, Virginia; his sister, Rita (Bruce) Blecken of West Des Moines; six nieces and nephews; and 12 great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Katie; and his younger sister, Mary Ann McCartney.
Services are pending with Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home in Jefferson.
What a wonderful person he was to be around. He had a sweet and delightful spirit. I can’t say I ever really met him until he was a regular at The Perry Perk. Such a nice man. He had a way of making folks feel at ease around him. I’d just bet Saint Peter didn’t even bother to check his ID. He likely waltzed through that gate totally unchallenged. I can imagine someone in the line to get in being upset about Eddie being waved through. Saint Peter would likely respond with “Hey. Are you kidding me? That was Eddie. Before you make any more complaints, I gotta ask how you rate to talk like that.”