John McGourthy Sr.

May the road rise up to meet you

May the wind always be at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again, 

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Irish Blessing

This past Friday, we lost a great friend and one of our biggest cheerleaders, John D. McGourthy Sr. of Mequon, Wisconsin. He peacefully began his new journey with his loving family singing and toasting him at his side as he entered Eternal Life on January 31, 2014, at the age of 72. John and Judy had been married for 50 years and they were blessed with six children and eleven grandchildren.

I remember when I first met John at our first Gala in Milwaukee. We shared a similar ancestry and we were able to talk for nearly an hour about our beloved Ireland and I told him stories of the orphans we had met in Central America. After the Gala, he grabbed me by the arms with tears in his eyes he said: I want you to know, I'll be doing much more to help these children.

John and Judy McGourthy in 2012

And that's exactly what he did. Over the past two years, the McGourthy family has made a huge difference in the lives of orphaned children in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. With their support, we've been able to remove arsenic from water, build homes, hire teachers and feed hungry children.

There's an Irish saying Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. It means may his soul be at the right hand of God. Of that, we have no doubt.