Carey Stanford McFarland

Carey Stanford Mcfarland was born on December 31, 1964, at 8:00 AM to his proud parents, Gus and Mildred Mcfarland. It was a snowy and frigid morning at Columbus Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, but the newborn Carey brought warmth. In 1967 Carey and his family moved to 1009 South 13th Avenue in Maywood, Illinois. Due to his grandmother Willie Mae White being a member, Carey attended Second Baptist Church and was baptized at an early age by Reverend Wallace Sykes. As a child Carey enjoyed playing outside with his brother, cousins, and other kids who lived on 13th Avenue. Carey was always a vital participant whenever the kids of 13th Avenue played football, basketball, softball, and even karate against the kids who lived on other blocks. Some of Carey most memorable times were spent at Waterwork Park with his brother, cousins, kids from his block, and the community. One of Carey’s favorite pastimes while outside was sledding down the snow-covered hill and playing football for hours in the snow at Waterworks Park. After playing in the snow for hours Carey, his brother, and cousins would be soaked from head to toe, and upon returning home their grandmother Willie Mae White, also known as “Madea,” would line them all up to take castor oil, to which none of them ever got sick from playing in the snow. As a child Carey also enjoyed going fishing with his grandfather Clinton White and loved his dogs “Buffy” and “Nimoy.” Carey attended Garfield Elementary School and continued to be quite active by participating in most of the field trips, such as going to Springfield, Illinois, as a seventh grader and then Washington DC as an eighth grader. Forever displaying his willingness as a youth who would participate in activities, Carey consistently swam at the Chairman Fred Hampton Aquatic Center, and he played Maywood Little League and Pony League baseball before and after swimming. Usually if there was fun on the block or at the park, Carey could be counted on to be right in the thick of it and was always a reliable ally when 13th played other blocks in anything (basketball, softball, strike’em out, football, karate, etc.). Carey graduated from Garfield Elementary in 1979 and then attended Proviso East High School. While attending Proviso East Carey became a member of the legendary Pirates Wrestling Team and proved that he had the discipline and mental toughness to withstand rigorous workouts and a strict diet. Carey graduated from Proviso East in 1983 but attended his prom prior to graduation, and it proved to be one of the highlights of his high school experiences. It was while visiting family in Ellisville and Bassfield, Mississippi, that Carey decided to attend Jones Junior College and pursue his education. Carey loved and was very familiar with Ellisville and Bassfield, due to visiting his family every summer there. As an adult Carey realized that it was the paid culinary training he took as a 15 year old at PLCCA in Maywood that ignited his true calling. He was a great cook and could create anything, including making homemade pickles.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carey Stanford McFarland, please visit our floral store.