Viola Demarice (Warner) McCary

Viola Demarice “De” McCary passed away Tuesday, December 29 at home surrounded by her loving family.

She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 24, 1929. She was the daughter of Russell and Dorothy (Rushworth) Warner. The family moved to Harbor Springs when she was 12. Where she graduated from Harbor Springs High School,  played basketball and had the opportunity to swim the Little Traverse Bay from Harbor Springs to Petoskey.

She met the love of her life, Al McCary, while hitchhiking from Harbor Springs to Walloon Lake. They were married in 1950. Eventually, they settled on a farm in Boyne City after a trip that took them as far as Seattle, Washington with the dream of homesteading in Alaska.

Outdoor life was always her life. She loved to swim, fish, hike, camp, snowmobile, and cross country ski. She also enjoyed teaching and encouraging her children and grandchildren to do the same. 

She was very active in the Boyne City Senior Center where she loved playing Rummikub, Wii bowling, and cards. She liked country music, dancing, and the line dancing she taught there. She loved to travel and had been to England, Hawaii, and Mexico. She worked for many years at the Boyne Citizen as a typist. 

She was preceded in death by her husband Al, in 2000; an infant daughter, Nancy; her parents, and her brother, Bill.

She is survived by three children; Winona Whelpley (Bob Safin) of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; William (Sherry) of Charlevoix; Jimmy (Doreen) of Seymour, Tennessee; her sister, Marie Beyer of Petoskey, 9 grandchildren, and 18 great grandchildren. 

A graveside service will be planned for spring.

In lieu of flowers or donations, we ask that you take a moment to hug your spouse, child, grandchild, friend or walk in the woods for a moment, an hour, or a day. It’s what De would have done.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Viola Demarice (Warner) McCary, please visit our floral store.