Stubborn, devoted, and fiercely committed, Carolyn gave her life in service — to her family, to her patients, to her country, and to the causes she held close. She passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones, leaving behind a legacy of resilience, compassion, and quiet, formidable strength.
Born in 1944 to Irene Carey Cook and Thomas J. Cook, Carolyn overcame a childhood learning disability to develop a lifelong love of reading.
As a teenager, she found her calling after caring for a high school boyfriend who was seriously injured in a car accident. That experience set her on the path to nursing, and she enrolled at the Glen Cove School of Nursing, beginning a decades-long career in healthcare. As a young mother, she worked long night shifts so she could be home with her beloved son, Kevin, during the day.
In 1993, tragedy struck when her husband, Dennis, was killed and her son, Kevin, was critically wounded in a mass shooting. Doctors gave Kevin a grim prognosis — but Carolyn dismissed it outright. She knew better. As both mother and nurse, she led his care and recovery, defying every medical prediction. Everyone underestimated them both, a refrain that would continue throughout Carolyn’s life.
That same determination carried Carolyn to Congress in 1996.
After learning her own representative opposed common-sense gun safety legislation, she launched a campaign many deemed impossible. Yet she beat the incumbent by more than 15 points and went on to win eight more terms.
In Washington, she poured her heart into finding common-sense gun safety solutions working across party lines, strengthening public education, and defending labor unions, veterans, healthcare workers, and working families.
When she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013, her doctors once again gave her a guarded prognosis. Once again, Carolyn proved them wrong.
After retiring from Congress in 2015, she sold her beloved two-generation home in Mineola and moved to Florida, where she threw herself into transforming her new house and gardens into her dream sanctuary. When Hurricane Ian devastated her community in 2022, Carolyn refused to abandon what she’d built. While many left, she stayed, rebuilding, restoring, and making her haven more beautiful than ever.
Carolyn loved the beach, gardening, shopping, and laughing over Pinot Grigio “with a lot of ice.” She cherished time with “the ladies” — her circle of close Florida friends — and “the boys,” her trusted colleagues from her congressional days.
Above all, Carolyn loved her grandchildren, Denis and Grace. Their grins lit up her world during childhood visits, and their growing independence and achievements brought her boundless pride.
Carolyn received the Presidential Citizens Medal on Jan. 2, 2025, at the White House for her “exemplary service” and dedication to her fellow citizens. The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest civilian honor in the United States, after the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her granddaughter, Grace, accepted the award from President Biden on her behalf during the ceremony.
She is survived by her son Kevin and his wife, Leslie; her grandchildren Denis and Grace McCarthy; her sister Janice Petrozzo (Ron); her brothers Thomas Cook (Marita) and Peter Cook (Maribeth); and her brother-in-law, Jack Sauer. She was predeceased by her husband, Dennis; her parents, Irene and Thomas Cook; and her sister, Donna Sauer.
Carolyn also leaves behind a large, loving extended family from both the Cook and McCarthy sides — dozens of nieces, nephews, and cousins who adored her.
Special thanks to her dearest lifelong friends: Marge and Ray Jensen, Linda Price, Maryellen Mendelsohn, Peggy and Paul May, Ellen McNamara, Pat Milton, Karen Thurman, and Joyce Gorycki. And deep gratitude to Renae Ingram and Steve Belland for their steadfast presence and love.
A celebration of her life will be held on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Fairchild & Sons, 1201 Franklin Avenue, Garden City. All are welcome to attend and share their memories. Interment will be private.
Carolyn lived a life of impact, conviction, and care, and the world is better for it.
Submitted by the McCarthy family.
