Michael Gerard McCormack

Michael Gerard McCormack
September 14, 1962 - November 25, 2024
Michael McCormack passed away suddenly from a heart attack on Monday, November 25, 2024 at the age of 62. The fourth of six children of Eileen (née Gilroy) and John McCormack of New Hyde Park, Long Island, Mike was a sweet brother who loved music, travel, movies, and driving. Most of all though, he loved spending special occasions with family and friends, where he would bring his patented butterscotch and chocolate graham-cracker-crust pies, and for Thanksgiving, his legendary homemade cranberry sauce.
Michael loved to drive his meticulously clean and pampered Oldsmobile. He was a master at word search puzzles and would play Scrabble with you anytime you asked. He was renowned for his memory of dates, names, and places. "Michael, what year did that movie come out? Do you remember the name of that person? How old were we when ?" He would say goodbye to you three times as he exited your car. He was quick to smile and laugh and could throw a barb or two in his quiet way. But most meaningfully, Michael was kind and gentle, and one of the few people who you can honestly say never hurt a soul in his entire lifetime.
He is mourned by his siblings and their spouses Eileen and John Francis of Pearl River, NY, Meg and Steve Singer of Norfolk MA, John McCormack of Mahwah NJ, Tim and Maria McCormack of Tappan, NY and Kevin McCormack and wife Patti Brennan of Orangeburg NY.
"Uncle Mike" loved his ten nieces and nephews and their spouses dearly: Marykate (Justin Zipkin), his godchild Sean, and Neil (Isabel Cotter) Francis; Sydney (Aaron Miller), Tim (Vieshnavi Rattehalli), Sarah, and Mei Singer; and Teigue, Andy, and Clare McCormack. He was fond of giving them quirky, sentimental gifts and cards when attending their birthdays, communions, and graduations. Michael is also survived by three great nieces and nephews Jack, Dahlia, and Kaleigh.
Michael had a fun childhood in New Hyde Park with his three brothers and two sisters and the batch of cousins that always rifled in and out of our house. He was no fan of the heat, but he loved to swim at the local pool or at Long Island beaches, or on vacation at Lake Sebago or the Delaware River at Skinners Falls. He loved our family's backyard parties or trips out to Long Island for clamming trips on the Keyes' family boat.
Michael had a special place in his heart for his grandmother, Marguerite Gilroy who lived with us. She and Mike used to play cards, cook together, or watch the same TV shows. He also loved his aunt, Margaret McCormack, who was his Godmother, and he would visit her in Tappan NY frequently.
At large gatherings, Michael would seek out particular people to talk to, and he would offer a firm handshake and he had a specific way of greeting you: "hello boss" before prompting them with unbelievable unique or amazingly deep questions.
Michael graduated from Notre Dame Grammar School and Memorial High School in New Hyde Park. He obtained an Associates Degree from Nassau Community College in business accounting.
In his late teens, Michael developed chronic mental illness, a challenge which he overcame to live independently throughout his life. He held down several full-time jobs in his lifetime, but his absolute favorite job was as an accounts payable data entry clerk for Snapple Beverage Corp, which he joined when they were a fledgling Long Island-based company. Michael was a dedicated, loyal employee, happy to use his employee discount to bring cases of Snapple to every family party. Just last week he was wearing his now vintage Snapple-logo jacket proudly.
Michael loved to travel and talked fondly of his trips to California to visit his brother John, or to Colorado to visit his brother Tim, or to Massachusetts to visit his sister Meg, or to Ireland for his nephew Neil's wedding, or many trips out to Montauk for his birthday with his brother John the last few years. He loved going to our family reunions with aunts and uncles and cousins everywhere, and he appreciated the conversations and laughs with individual cousins too many to name.
Michael loved Long Island and New Hyde Park, but he moved to Rockland County in the early 2000s to be closer to family. In Rockland, he created a network of friends through classes and activities at Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) and Jawonio Lifespan Services. Friends and counselors from both have reached out to us to tell us what an active and kind presence he was there. There is no doubt that the support and guidance he found at PROS and Jawonio helped him to live a richer, more independent life, for which we are all grateful.
Though there were many periods in his life where his mental illness became a struggle, Michael never gave up. His resilience was extraordinary. Our mother constantly reminded him–and us–that he was the most courageous person she has ever known because he has to fight demons and doubts virtually every day of his life. From his life, we all learned how to be always patient and kind, to listen, and to better appreciate our own lives.
And, finally, Michael loved music, from Broadway show tunes to old classics to popular love songs. He loved going to a place in Nyack called Music for Life. When you asked him what songs he played while he was there, his response could be anything from Johnny Mathis to Robert Goulet, from Coldplay to the Carpenters, from Barbara Streisand to Tina Turner, from Billy Joel to Christopher Cross. After telling you the name of a song–and the year it came out– he would say wistfully, "Now that is such a beautiful song." So, Michael, our brother, it is quite fitting that we end with song lyrics. Michael, we will miss you and we love you and we will think of you always:
In the arms of an Angel far away from here
From this dark, cold room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an Angel;
may you find some comfort there.
Adapted from Sara McLachlan: In the Arms of Angels
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Michael's name to Jawonio Foundation, online: https://jawonio.org/2024-virtual-gala/ or by check made out to Jawonio Foundation and mailed to Paul Lovejoy, Director of Behavioral Health, Jawonio Foundation, 260 N. Little Tor Road, New City, NY 10956. Phone: 845-708-2000.