Edward F. “Ted” Carney of New Bedford passed away peacefully at St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River on Friday April 24, 2020 after a period of declining health.
Ted was born in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood on October 30, 1949 to prominent funeral director, the late Edward F. “Ned,” and Gloria M. “Gogo” (Mann) Carney. Ted moved to Dartmouth in 1951 and grew up there with his parents and three brothers: Cdr. James M. “Jeff” Carney, Bruce Carney, and the late Wilbur S. “Bill” Carney. As a young man, Ted worked for Dr. Deane Freitas, assisting Dr. Freitas with his veterinary practice, and also helped out around his father’s funeral home. In 1968, Ted graduated from Holy Family High School in New Bedford.
Ted’s admiration for animals made veterinary sciences his first passion; however, he ultimately answered the call of the family business and became partners with his father, Ned, at Austin-Carney Funeral Home. Before joining his father, he studied mortuary sciences and funeral services at Boston’s New England Institute of Anatomy and Embalming, graduating in the fall of 1970. From there, Ted became the then-youngest licensed funeral director and embalmer in the Commonwealth. He dedicated a large part of the next twenty-two years to his family’s business; took over management of the enterprise after Ned’s passing in 1992; and ran Austin-Carney Funeral Home for twelve more years. He was also a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and a communicant of St. Lawrence Church.
Loved by all who knew him, Ted’s sense of humor and quick wit was readily apparent. His tender personality, genuine likability, and generosity would shine through in his interactions with close friends and complete strangers alike.
Ted is survived by his spouse, Naomi R.A. Carney of New Bedford; his brothers, Jeff and his wife, Kathleen of Saunderstown, RI, and Bruce of Hollywood, FL; his sister-in-law, Nancy Carney of Aiken, SC; his five children, Edward F. “Ted” Carney of New Bedford, Jarrod Carney and his wife, Kim of Dartmouth, and Jonathan Carney, and their mother, Bette Carney, both of New Bedford, and Sean Carney and Sydnee Carney, both of New Bedford; his three grandchildren, Zachariah, Morgan, and Madison Carney, all of Dartmouth; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Since Ted died during the beginning of the pandemic, he was interred in his family plot at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Dartmouth during a private service arranged by the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals. A public Memorial Mass will be held at St. Lawrence Church on Saturday May 13, 2023 at 9 AM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the SouthCoast Humane Society or the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.