<p>Timothy R. McCarthy, 83, a member of the family that founded and established the 144-year-old St. Louis construction firm McCarthy Building Companies, died Oct. 13.</p>
<p>He suffered a heart attack Oct. 7 in his sleep and has been in the hospital since then.&nbsp;</p>
<p>McCarthy was part of a family construction dynasty that began in 1864 when an Irish immigrant named, also named Timothy McCarthy, began a lumber business in Ann Arbor, MI building farmhouses and barns. The company he founded in 1864 is now a billion dollar construction firm with offices nationwide. <br /><br />The first Timothy McCarthy had 10 children, and taught carpentry to two sons, John W. and Timothy Jr. His son Charles became a bricklayer. John W. moved the business to Farmington, MO. It moved to St. Louis in&nbsp; 1917, where it was renamed McCarthy Brothers Construction&nbsp; Co. <br /><br />Completion in 1961 of the Priory Chapel helped establish the company's reputation as a significant force in St. Louis construction.</p>
<p>As the company slowly expanded, so did the McCarthy family &mdash; with many members filling leadership positions within the firm. Timothy R. McCarthy,Merryl L. McCarthy,&nbsp; John E. McCarthy, J. Melvin McCarthy and Francis F. McCarthy are credited with much of the company's success from the 1940s to the 1970s.<br /><br />In&nbsp; 2002 the&nbsp; company, now called McCarthy Building Companies, completed the&nbsp; transition to employee ownership. Sales last year were $2.3 billion.</p>
<p>Mr. McCarthy served as the AGC of St. Louis President of the Board of Directors in 1973.</p>
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<p>The family asks that that memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor's choice, in lieu of flowers.&nbsp;</p>