Herbert McCarter

Herbert L. McCarter, 76, of Oakland, NJ, passed away on April 14, 2026, following a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gail (Bykowsky) McCarter, and their three children, Kyle McCarter, Kelly McCarter, and Kori (McCarter) Abramson, as well as their five grandchildren.

Herb was born on April 30, 1949, in Westwood, NJ, to Herbert and Tolita McCarter. He attended Bergen Catholic High School and was a talented baseball and basketball player. In high school, he met his wife, Gail, while she was at Immaculate Heart Academy and they were together from that time forward. After high school, Herb attended St. Peter’s College where he continued his baseball career and majored in History.

One of his first jobs after college was as a window washer for his future father-in-law’s commercial window cleaning business. Herb worked this job to put himself through Seton Hall Law School. However, once he and Gail got married the entire family decided it was time to stop hanging out of windows and climbing ladders, so he hung up his bucket, finished law school, and began his career as a lawyer.

Herb practiced law primarily in New Jersey for more than 50 years. He was a respected attorney focused on Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability law representing plaintiffs’ interests, as well as a partner at Main Street Title Company. When he retired, Herb had as many friends in the legal profession that were judges and defense attorneys as he did on the plaintiff side - a reflection of the integrity, warmth, and kindness that he displayed to everyone he worked with or against.

While he dedicated his career to the law, Herb really wanted to be a coach and a teacher having briefly pursued graduate studies in French history at Fordham University. He loved sports, books, music, and a good laugh. Herb learned to play tennis, developed a mean kick serve, and loved playing mixed doubles with Gail. Later, he reluctantly learned to play golf which turned into an obsession. As a father, he was active in the community coaching each of his kids in youth basketball or baseball in Oakland, NJ, as well as devoting countless hours on the sidelines cheering on his kids and grandkids in all of their other activities. Herb loved going to concerts with his wife and eventually sharing that passion with his kids. He taught them to appreciate The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, while also embracing Phish in his sixties.

Above all, Herb was a caring husband, father, and grandfather. His presence is deeply missed by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: https://giving.mskcc.org/

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