Mary Virginia McCormack

Mary Virginia McCormack

Born: July 5, 1926

Died: August 3, 2016

Mary Virginia McCormack, 90, passed away unexpectedly on August 3, 2016 surrounded by her loving and grateful family. She led a full life of unwavering devotion to faith, family, and community.

She was born on July 5, 1926 in Chicago, IL to George Arthur Lang and Aileen Anna Faherty. Mary grew up working in her father's corner grocery store on Kostner Avenue. She graduated from Siena High School in 1944. Mary attended Mount Mary College in Wauwatosa, WI where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Education. Mary went on to teach at Tennyson Elementary School in Chicago.

Mary was among the first summer staff to re-open Yellowstone National Park following its closure during WWII. Upon her first sight of the majestic expanse of the Teton mountain range, she was awestruck. Thereafter, regular pilgrimages to Wyoming ensued, whereby she shared her passion for the unparalleled grandeur and the wild, uncompromising beauty that resonated within her soul.

Mary was married to Dr. Joseph Lawrence McCormack on September 12, 1953 in Chicago. Mary and Joe were brought together through the social dances hosted by their Chicago west-side parishes of Resurrection and St. Thomas Aquinas. Their romance blossomed into a marriage that spanned almost 64 years, taking them from Chicago to the newly-built suburbs and ultimately to their home overlooking the Kishwaukee Valley west of Woodstock.

Her Catholic faith was the cornerstone of her life. Mary instilled in her 10 children a deep love for the faith that still grows today through the lives of her 20 grandchildren. The one thing she desired most was that her children and grandchildren stay close to God.

Motherhood in Mary's eyes was not a mere offshoot of matrimony but rather a sacred vocation. Along with the inexhaustible generosity of her husband, she dedicated herself to her children with joyous self-sacrifice modeled on that of the Blessed Mother. The intensity of her devotion increased with each of her children whom she welcomed into the world as a gift from God. Her greatest joy was to be surrounded by her 10 beloved children, whether all dressed in matching pajamas on Christmas morning, taking up an entire pew in church, or packed like sardines in a maxi-van heading West on I-80.

Along with her husband Joseph, Mary was a long-time member of St. Mary Church and supporter of St. Mary Grade School and Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock. She loved the Arts and was a member of the Woodstock Fine Arts Association. Mary was an advocate of preserving the small town, rural atmosphere that made Woodstock unique.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents George and Aileen.

She is survived by her sisters, Andrea (Summers) and Nancy (McFeeters); her loving spouse, Joseph; her eight sons and two daughters, Mary (Don) Harboway; Joseph (Cathy); Anthony (Teresa); Francis (Mary Kate); David (Heidi); Martin (Anne Marie); Peter (Ellen); Colin (Joanne); Cecilia (Kevin) Skelton; and Robert. Mary is further survived by her twenty grandchildren, August, Regina, Paul, Grace, Clare, Monique, Molly, Helen, Luke Francis, Maria, David, Áine, Mary Margaret, Brigid, Colin, Rosie, Aidan, Maura, Luke Patrick, and Amelia.

Visitation will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church located at 312 Lincoln Avenue, Woodstock, IL. On Wednesday, August 10, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service. Visitation will continue on Thursday, August 11, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. The family will gather at a later date in the place Mary loved so dearly, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a private Mass at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church and interment at Aspen Hill Cemetery where Mary will be laid to rest, next to her parents, with a view of her beloved Grand Tetons.

The family would like to thank the nursing and respiratory staff of the ICU at Centegra Hospital in Woodstock for the care given to Mary and the compassion shown to her grieving family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either of the following charities: Right to Life McHenry County http://www.righttolife-mc.org/, St. Mary Guardian Angel Fund http://www.stmary-woodstock.org/admission/guardian-angel-fund

For information call the Schneider, Leucht, Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home at 815-338-1710 or visit the website at www.slmcfh.com