Dr. James Sidney McCarthy, 83, husband of Mary Alice (Weissmann) McCarthy of Verona, passed away Thursday, August 19, 2021 at his residence.

Dr. McCarthy was born in Santa Monica, California on May 20, 1938, a son of the late Lorin Lincoln and Marjorie Rose (Reed) McCarthy.

Dr. McCarthy was the W. L. Lyons Brown Professor of Physics from 1984 until 1999 and was also the Director of the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, both at the University of Virginia. He was instrumental in the creation of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) in Newport News, Virginia and to this day, CEBAF is a unique faculty in the physics world of Nuclear Particle Accelerators. He was elected Virginia Scientist of the year in 1985 and earned his Ph.D at Stanford under the Noble Laureate physicist Robert Hofstadter.
Dr. McCarthy was a professor of physics from 2000 until 2001 at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. and had been employed since 2001 by Serco International. He earned a undergraduate degree in English Literature and throughout his life he maintained a deep and abiding love of literature and fine books.

Surviving in addition to his wife of thirty years, are two children, Braford Reed McCarthy and Katherine McCarthy Jack; three step-children, Miles Christian Bobbitt and his wife, Gratia, Alexander Woods Bobbitt, and Jeffrey Ohman; and two grandchildren, James Bowen Bobbitt and Olivia Jane Bobbitt.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Coffman Funeral Home and Crematory, 230 Frontier Drive in Staunton is in charge of his arrangements.