Scarborough and Bangor - William Peter McCarty (“Pete”), 70, of Scarborough and Bangor, Maine, a beloved father, partner, friend, coach, mentor, and lifelong athlete whose humility matched the extensiveness of his accomplishments, died Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Maine Medical Center in Portland after an illness. In his final days, his children Cullen and Jackson, his partner Betsy and friend Andrew (“Sol”), and many other longtime friends were with him to honor him, share stories and appreciate the wonderful man Pete was.

He was born on January 12, 1956, and raised in Bangor, Maine, the son of the late Walter J. McCarty and Laura I. (“Mame”) McCarty. He loved school because that was where you played sports and socialized. Pete, aka the “Bear,” attended Bangor High School, making lifetime friends and creating an enduring legacy of athletic achievement. He was a standout three-sport athlete excelling in baseball, basketball and most of all football. Pete loved playing on many of those teams alongside his younger brother Paul McCarty, and the formidable McCarty brothers earned legendary status throughout the state with opponents struggling to contain them. Pete co-captained the Bangor Rams football team, winning the Class A 1973 State Championship. He was a fierce, intimidating linebacker and fullback, playing both offense and defense, belying his gentle, easy-going nature off the field. While team achievements were most important to Pete, he won the 1973 James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy awarded to the state’s outstanding high school senior football player. He played on the Rams baseball team that won the 1974 State Championship.

Renowned football Coach Dick MacPherson recognized Pete’s special qualities on and off the field and brought his fellow Maineiac to the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a full athletic scholarship, where Pete earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1978. While there, he was a four-year starter and co-captained the 1977 Minutemen football team while earning all-conference honors as a linebacker. After graduation, He was an assistant football coach for his hometown Bangor Rams under the tutelage of his lifelong friend and mentor Coach Gabby Price, before moving on to coach at Maine Central Institute.

Pete joined Coach MacPherson at Syracuse University as a Graduate Assistant where he earned his Master’s degree in 1981 and catapulted his 40-year college football coaching career, guiding defensive players. That career included coaching positions at Syracuse University, American International College, College of the Holy Cross, University of Maryland, University of Illinois, Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Central Florida, Western Michigan University, Cornell University, Fordham University and the University of New Hampshire. He was honored to coach all-conference student athletes, NFL draft picks, players who became coaches and businessmen - Pete also coached in several bowl games. While he was a decisive, firm leader who coached players to win, his biggest successes were leading player character development. Pete emphasized hard work, integrity, respect, honesty, responsibility, commitment, learning and empathy. He kept in contact with a lot of former players throughout his life. Pete’s efforts as a player and coach were recognized in his 2009 induction into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony, Pete said, “I’d like to say I’m going in as an individual, but there are many others who helped me get this honor. My parents, my teammates, and my coaches obviously had a major impact.”

Pete was an exceptional, yet humble man with joy for life. He did not like to talk about himself and his achievements but wanted to hear about his friends’ lives. He was outgoing and eager to meet new people who nearly always became friends, often breaking the ice by asking, “What high school did you go to?” then naming the school’s football coach. He was a movie buff, known for taking in a movie or two solo during down time and bye weeks, and could recite dialog, especially from sports movies. He was an avid music lover of many genres with a roomful of CDs and no reluctance to sing enthusiastically and off-key. He also had distinctive dance moves that he shared on occasion after celebratory beverages. He enjoyed golfing, never missing an opportunity to add to his collection of wayward balls and broken tees. Pete was a hearty eater who happily broke the food budget of anyone who tried to fill him up. He was an ardent reader, particularly material about sports, and was the sports editor of his high school newspaper.

Pete was honored to be the father of two children, Cullen and Jackson, with former wife Tracy Jackson McCarty. While his coaching career sometimes took him to spots far from them, he so appreciated Tracy’s day-to-day steady hand and dedication to raising phenomenal children who he loved so much and was so proud of. Later in his coaching career, Pete was able to move closer to their homebase and valued the time he could spend with Cullen, Jackson, his friends, and his partner Betsy. This allowed Pete to grab his buddy Sol and attend Cullen and Jackson’s events and competitions, a movie or a quick bite and then head back to Pete’s to watch a game or two. They cherished traditions like their summer vacations in Kennebunkport at the Rhumb Line, a round of mini golf and New Year’s in the Chart Room. We would be remiss not to mention all the road trips to various football camps, universities and colleges where he coached, and to Bangor to see Mame.

After retiring from the NCAA system, during Pete’s early stages of Alzheimer’s/Primary Progressive Aphasia, he continued to work and picked up a gig at Hannaford in Dover, New Hampshire, which landed him a spot, with glowing recommendations, in the Scarborough, Maine location closer to where Pete and his partner Betsy resided. He never missed a day of work, insisting on arriving early each day in true Pete form in his khaki shorts and a collared shirt, making many more friends while he worked. If anyone could’ve been Mayor of a neighborhood, it would be Pete in Dunstan Crossing where he and Betsy lived. He was a fixture and everyone, and we mean everyone, knew Pete. Betsy considered Pete a later-in-life gift who bought her great joy, but Pete’s friends and family will say Betsy is the greatest later-in-life gift to him.

Pete was predeceased by his parents and his brother Paul McCarty. Pete will be greatly missed by his children Cullen McCarty of Davidson, North Carolina; Jackson McCarty of Boston, Massachusetts; his partner, Betsy Glanville of Scarborough, and his innumerable friends. Special mention goes to Andrew (“Sol”), Kevin and Louise, Rich and Heidi, Greg and Marianne, Gabby and Mary, Jimmy, Paul and Anne, John, Rick, Mark, Margaret and Ernie, Terry, Alan, Emily, Chris, Deb, Alison, Sarah and many more.

Heartfelt thanks to the team at Avita of Stroudwater in Westbrook who cared for Pete in the last five months and showed him such affection and support. Additional thanks to the team at Maine Medical Center for their great care in Pete’s last two weeks.

 A reception celebrating Pete’s life will be held in the spring.

As Pete would say, “You take care now, be good, love ya.”