Shane McCarthy, a Northeastern student remembered for his bright personality and adventurous spirit, died Nov. 30 after suffering from complications related to bacterial meningitis, according to an obituary made public online. He was 21 years old.
McCarthy was a third-year student studying business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurial startups. Aside from loving to spend time with family and participate in athletic activities, he was an excellent student and was named to the dean’s list during all his academic semesters at Northeastern, according to an email statement from Dunton Family Dean of D’Amore-McKim School of Business David De Cremer.
“All of us at Northeastern mourn this terrible loss,” De Cremer wrote in the email to faculty, students and staff on the Boston campus. “Shane will be missed dearly.”
Born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, McCarthy was a student at the city’s public schools until sixth grade. He then attended the private Eaglebrook School in Deerfield and graduated from Deerfield Academy in 2021.
McCarthy was an honors student and talented athlete at Deerfield Academy before enrolling at Northeastern, De Cremer wrote in the email statement. His passion for athletics was evident throughout his life.
“Shane loved to play ultimate frisbee or simply throw the disc in his backyard or on the beaches of [Cape Cod]. He enjoyed playing squash and pick up games of basketball with his Cape friends,” read his obituary, which was originally published on Legacy.com. “Shane was an expert skier and shared many trips with his father and had a couple amazing trips to Steamboat [Ski Resort] with friends that were highlights in his short life.”
Outside of skiing with family and friends, McCarthy was a member of Northeastern’s Downhillers Ski and Snowboard Club and was also a “passionate soccer player,” according to the email statement.
McCarthy also had a passion for traveling and exploring the world and completed his first semester in London as an N.U.in student. He also traveled to California, Texas, the Bahamas, South Korea and China before his death, according to the obituary.
As a child, McCarthy loved to help his grandfather and uncles “garden, attend to farm animals, assist with yardwork or visit his uncle on construction sites.” As McCarthy got older, he began to spend summers with his grandmother in Mashpee, a town on Cape Cod — his family liked to say that he was “part land and part sea,” according to the obituary.
McCarthy had a brother, Colin, “whom he shared a special bond with that is impossible to put into words.” The McCarthy family will be establishing a scholarship fund called “A Brother’s Bond,” which will honor both Shane’s memory and his connection with his brother, the obituary read.
De Cremer said confidential counseling is available for Northeastern students and staff dealing with the loss of McCarthy through Find@Northeastern, University of Health and Counseling Services and WeCare.
