Timothy McCarthy

Timothy Irving McCarthy, 66, died unexpectedly at his home in Littleton, CO on April 25, 2025. Tim was born February 18, 1959 in Long Beach, CA. He was the second eldest of eight children. Tim grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and went on to earn a BA in Engineering from University of California at San Diego in 1981. He started his career in St. Paul, MN but returned to California to earn a master’s degree at Cal Berkeley, and settled in San Diego to work at General Dynamics’ space division. There, he met Rose Alfaro, the love of his life. They married in 1994 and later welcomed their two children, Rebecca, and Kathleen Erinn, into the world.

Tim moved to the Denver area with his family and continued his work on rockets and space exploration with Lockheed Martin. He worked on thermodynamic systems for rockets and made regular trips to Florida to observe launches and evaluate the heat shield systems. He worked on several space exploration projects, including the Orion.

He retired in 2019.

Tim lived an active life. He loved sports, excelling at basketball and football in high school and continuing to play basketball with his colleagues at Lockheed Martin. He loved to travel and enjoyed the outdoors–backpacking, camping, canoeing and hiking. When he could not get away, he took long walks enjoying Colorado. He was always ready to tell a story, especially ones concerning history and politics. He read widely and was a sharp critic of current politics. He was currently working on a series of essays on climate change.

More than anything, Tim was devoted to his beloved Rose, his wife of 31 years and his adult children, Rebecca and Kathleen Erinn, who miss him deeply. He is remembered by his surviving in-laws, Elsie and Romeo Alfaro, his brothers John and Matt, his sisters Katherine, Anne, Helen and Marcia, his many cousins and friends. Tim is predeceased by his parents, Bill and Mary Kay McCarthy, his brother Paul, his cousin Tim Madden, and his uncle Brian Manning.

A Funeral Mass will be held for Tim at 11:00 am, Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at the Light of the World Catholic Church on 10306 W. Bowles Ave, Littleton, CO 80127. A lunch reception at the church will follow.