Madeline A. McCormick

Raising nine children from the 1960's through the 1980's was a financial, social and logistical field. Buying socks, underwear and food in bulk became common place. Dealing with the drama of sibling rivalries, teenage angst and typical rebellion was a juggling act. Yet Madeline McCormick weathered it with remarkable calm and a steady hand.

A child of the Depression, literally, Madeline McCormick was born to William and Elizabeth (Betty) Moner on October 29, 1929: the day of the cataclysmic Stock Market Crash. Bill Moner was a chef; Betty had worked at Donohoe's in downtown Pittsburgh. Their home in Baldwin featured a massive garden and chickens, a source of food and "egg money". Canning food and selling the surplus, the family worked their way through the lean years of the Depression, making things last and learning to be resourceful, like their neighbors. Necessity made resourcefulness an essential way of life.

Madeline established a core of friends from her Baldwin neighborhood and Saint Wendelin High School who became an integral part of her life. As she followed the traditional path of her era from school dances and activities, she frequented Sully's and The Grove, teen hangouts of the South Hills. There she met a "string bean of a guy" from Overbrook. Unimpressed at first, Mal quickly realized she found a keeper. Jerry McCormick courted her and would marry her in 1953. Jerry brought his own circle of neighborhood and high school friends with him. In the ensuing years, those circles became aunts and uncles to the nine children Jerry and Mal raised. Picnics, birthdays, and holidays involved other families, as their circle of friends followed the Baby Boom explosion. Combined with Jerry's eight siblings, their extended family became a small village, playing pinochle and penny ante poker, picnicking and visiting one another's homes.

In her younger days, Madeline followed the traditional role of an American housewife. She was involved in card clubs, the Ladies Guild, and served her time as a Cub Scout Den Mother and Girl Scout Cookie Sales. As the family grew, Mal shifted her focus to her family and its growing needs. Laundry involved two washing machines, meal preparation involved large quantities of food, and clothes shopping was a challenge. Buying boys' socks and underwear in bulk is not a part of a typical house wife's training, let alone dragging all nine kids along. This was before vans were available for passenger use, so the old Vista Cruiser station wagon was loaded with bodies and driven Uptown for bulk buying. Jerry became very good friends with some of the merchants with the business he was bringing. When we went for shoes, Dad and the owner went to a local bar while the sales staff and Mom handled all the children. Mom spent decades in Kiddieland at Kennywood with her young children and seldom saw the rest of the park because there was always someone younger to supervise. Family events at Kennywood and Idlewild in later years left Mal thrilled with the rides and attractions. She couldn't really enjoy them before.

Their home became the center of the McCormick family. From their small house in Carrick to their larger home in Brentwood, Madeline and Jerry were hosts to friends and relatives for holidays and family events. Birthdays and graduations were hosted at the house, and the extended family of old friends and relatives now included the neighbors. "We were always blessed with good neighbors" Mal often remarked.

The role of these different groups became vital to the McCormick family. Major projects, from pouring concrete for a new driveway, landscaping, painting, even moving into a new house, saw a versatile and willing crew of adults and teenagers descend on the house and successfully tackle the project. When Mal went to the hospital for her latest baby delivery, "the aunts" suddenly appeared to power the McCormick children through their daily activities. These aunts included those long-time childhood friends, not just blood relatives. "They descended on us like a military operation, handling the cooking, cleaning and laundry until Mom was able to resume her activities," commented Gary, the eldest. "They also put us to work, making us do more chores than normal. Aunt Ag and Aunt Peg realized if we were busy with a specific job, we couldn't get into trouble. They were right". Our babysitters were our older cousins, and occasionally we were shipped out to different relatives' houses for a few nights to get us out of the way of a more serious project.

Obituary

Madeline (Moner) McCormick was the daughter of the late William and Elizabeth (Lazorchak) Moner, and sister of the late Joseph Moner. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Gerald McCormick, her daughter in law Susan Kamen McCormick, and great grandchildren Claire and Cameron Lou. She is survived by her nine children Gerald of Baldwin , Edward (Amy) of Greensburg, Dan (Sandy) of Worthington, Ohio, Ann of Baldwin, Madelynn (Martin) of New Providence NJ, Richard (Linda) of Pittsburgh, William (Katie) of Pittsburgh, James of Pittsburgh, and Neal (Maureen) of Dumfries,Va. She was proud of her 17 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren. She sadly leaves behind an extended group of nieces, nephews and family friends who provided her with love and attention her entire life.

Visitations are Wednesday November 12th, 2025 from 2-4 and 6-8 pm and Thursday November 13th, 2025 from 2-4 and 6-8 pm at the Boron Funeral Home, Inc. 1719 Brownsville Road. Family and friends are invited to meet at the church for Madeline's Mass of Christian Burial held in St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish at St. Pius X Catholic Church on November 14th, 2025 at 10:00 am, followed by a graveside service at St. Anne Cemetery at 11:30 am. The family requests memorial contributions be made to the Thomas P Kapfer Scholarship Fund c/o The Pittsburgh Foundation 912 Fort Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, Pa 15222