Dr. Joseph P. McCormick – 65 – of 72 Maple St., Hornell, died early Sunday morning (May 20, 2012) at St. James Mercy Hospital, following a long illness.
Born in Hornell on November 30, 1946, he was the son of Charles & Catherine (Bulock) McCormick.
Joe grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of St. Ann’s School. He later spent four years attending St. Andrews Roman Catholic Seminary in Rochester, NY.
He was a 1969 graduate of Alfred University where he earned his BA Degree in biology. He later studied physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Dr. McCormick graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Following his graduation from medical school, he completed his surgical residency at George Washington University Medical Center.In 1979, Dr. Joe returned to Hornell and began his practice in General, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery. For the next 33 years he diligently served the Hornell community in his private surgical practice. For many years, he donated his time serving as a team physician for the Hornell Red Raider Football Team.
Dr. McCormick was a member of the Medical Society of the State of New York and was a member & delegate of the Steuben County Medical Society. He was also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons & Diplomat American Board of Surgery . He also served as an Honorary Professor at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY.
Joe was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and a communicant of St. Ann’s Church. He had served on the St. Ann’s School board and had been a member of the YMCA Board of Directors and was the founding member of the St. James Hospital Ethics Committee. Dr. McCormick was also a member of the Hornell Knights of Columbus and Hornell Elks Lodge. He was an avid fan of the Indianapolis Colts Football Team and enjoyed watching NASCAR on TV and throughout the years attended many races.
He was married on February 1, 1969 to the former Pat Dunshie who survives. Also surviving are 2 daughters, Dr. Shannon (Charles) Hach of Pittsburgh, PA and Morgan McCormick, Psy.D. of Ithaca, NY; 3 brothers, Charles (Linda) McCormick of Canisteo, Deacon Robert (Rose) McCormick of Hornell and John (Martha) McCormick of Hornell; 2 grandchildren, Cyrus Hach and Celia Hach; several nieces & nephews.
The family of Dr. Joseph P McCormick will receive friends on Tuesday from 2 – 4 PM and 7 – 9 PM at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday at 11:00 AM at St. Ann’s Church.
Dr. McCormick’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to the Hornell YMCA Pool Fund, 18 Center St., Hornell, NY 14843. Memorial forms will be available at the Dagon Funeral Home.
Dear Pat and family:
There are no words..he was the best and Dr. will be missed by everyone who knew him. I feel so bad. Please know you have been in my prayers and thoughts these past weeks. He was the best Dr. and Hornell has lost a great person. May God comfort you in the days ahead and please know if you need anything, do not hesitate. Jesus is holding you all in the palm of his hands today and always. Much love and sympathy…Kim Clifford Wood.
So sorry for lost of one the best DR in hornell he will missed by a lot of people.
Dear Pat and family,
We are truly sorry for your loss but our loss as well. We will say prayers for you and your family. Know that we care.
Sincerely, Gary and Teresa Melvin
My thoughts and prayers are with all the family<3 Not only was he a great Doctor but what I will remember most is that he always took time to stop and say Hi to me and give me a hug….The last time we spoke I was at arrow mart he came over and pumped my gas for me and asked how I was doing….Very sad….RIP Dr. Mc Cormick <3 Rainey
Pat and Family –
Mary Ann just called from work with the sad news about Joe’s death. We want you to know that all of you will be in our thoughts and prayers. Although we’ve not been close in recent years, the memories from St. Ann’s to Alfred and all the fun times we had are still strong. I’m sure Joe was welcomed home by the Lord and is renewing old acquaintances. We’ll pray for God’s comforting love to support all of you in the future.
What a loss for this community. Dr. Joe had a way of putting his nervous patients at ease by humming and joking with the nurses. Condolences to his family-he will be missed.
pat and family, i am so saddened to hear of the passing of dr. joe. i will always remember him picking on me when i was mowing his moms yard,telling me i missed a spot then smiling. i always looked up to him, and will miss him. i will keep you in my prayers.
DEAR PAT AND FAMILY IM SO SORRRY FOR YOUR LOSS. JOE TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF ME OVER THE YEARS AND I WILL MISS HIM VERY MUCH. YOUR IN MY PRAYERS ALWAYS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU DURING THIS TIME, AND REMEMBER WE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ALWAYS. SINCERLY MR. & MRS CHARLES& LINDA HORTON FROM ADDISON ,NY.
May God bless and watch over the McCormick family at this time, my heart just breaks for them all. What a truly amazing soul Dr. McCormick was. Love, the Jimerson & Giglio family.
I am saddened to hear of the passing of Joe. My husband and I always thought the world of him. He was not only a caring man, but a good man, and loved a good joke!! My sympathies to all of you, especially Pat and Deacon Bob. Now that I live in TN I can’t come to pay my respects, sadly. He is with the angel, for sure
Jean Peterson
Dear Morgan and Family-
I am so very sorry about the loss of your father. He was a great guy and will be missed. I wish you all prayers.
-Kelly Pelych Bancroft
Though I have only known Dr. McCormick as a patient for a short time, I respected him for his kind and considerate bed side manner and the family atmosphere he had developed in his office. That kind of professionalism and care will be sorely missed. I wish I had gotten to know him much better, maybe we could have developed a friendship!
I will keep the family in my prayers.
I am so, so very saddened by this news, and can’t tell you how much I will miss Dr. McCormick. Through the years, I knew that every procedure and every surgery Dr. McCormick performed on me would go smoothly, and never once did I have the slightest qualm about anything. I was in his hands and I knew he was the most capable man I could have had on the job. But aside from his skill, I appreciated him so much for his absolutely unfailing kindness and generosity of spirit. May you all find peace in knowing that he was so much to so many. He will be greatly missed. With my deepest condolences – Leigh Wright
I mourn Joe’s passing. He was a member of the St. Andrew’s Seminary Class of 1964 and attended our first and second reunions (2004 and 2009), at both of which he was so jolly. I was looking forward to seeing him in 2014. At the first reunion each classmate was asked to stand up and listen to what the class as a whole thought of him anonymously. This is what we said of Joe: “We admire you for being urbane yet not worldly, for your readiness to lend everyone a hand, for being a person with whom people enjoy sharing experiences and good times, for your consistent effort to make the world a better place, and for never giving up on either Latin or laughter.”
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Joe’s passing. He was a wonderful man and one who people could admire. He was a very kind man.
My condolences to his wife and children and brothers. They are a great family! My prayers are with them all.
WERE NOT ABLE TO BE THERE TODAY BUT KNOW THAT YOUR IN OUR HEARTS AND PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU ON THIS DAY. REST IN PEACE JOE WE SHALL MEET AGAIN SOME DAY.
Pat and Family,
We are so sorry to hear about Dr. McCormick. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
We will miss him very much.
I was deeply sadden to read of the passing of such a wonderful man. Even though I was only a patient of his , he treated me as if I were a friend. He was always concerned about not only how you were feeling but that every aspect of your care was as it should be. He went above and beyond to see that all your needs were met. After having a few bad experiences with Dr. I was reluctant to trust any of them. His approach of total honesty was refreshing. I am only here today because he told me straight out what needed to be done , what he would do and what to expect, He was true to his word. The world loss a truly great person ,but Heaven welcomed home one of their own. Looking forward to seeing him there one day.
I was sadden to hear of the passing of such a great Dr. and a wonderful man. I will miss his smiles and the passing of him in the halls of St.James. May he rest in peace, my prayers are with his family.
Thoughts and prayers for Pat and family. Dr.Joe was one of the best. We have only doctored with him the past 6 yrs,but feel like we have known him forever. You will be very missed and may you rest in peace Dr.Joe.
Dr.McCormick was my Dr. for 20 years & he was always so positive about everything that he kept me positive. He was a very special person and I
was very lucky to have been his patient.
Pat,
May you be comforted by our sincere thoughts and prayers & wishing you God’s Peace. He will be missed by so many people.
Dear Pat and family,
I am so very saddened to hear of Joe’s passing. He was a very special person and a truly dedicated physician and skilled surgeon. We were very good friends growing up all the way through St. Ann’s and beyond.
I will always treasure his friendship and those memories will always remain strong. The community has lost a wonderful person and a doctor whose compassion and careing manner will always be remembered by his patients. My prayers are with you at this difficult time.
I read of your loss, and would like to offer my condolences. A few days ago, I lost a member of my family and I understand the grief and sorrow that you and your family are feeling at this time. Although words cannot fill the emptiness of your loss, I would like to share with you the promise stated at John 5:28,29. ” All those in the memorial tombs will hear his(JESUS)voice, and come out to a resurrection of life..” May I assure you, I am not trying to give or change your religion. The pain of loss is felt, regardless of religion. May you be strengthened by friends and family during this VERY DIFFICULT time.
We send our condolences to Pat ,Shannon and Morgan and all of Joe’s friends and relatives.Clem worked with Joe while she was a nurse at St.James Mercy and extolls the wonderful care Joe gave his patients and Mike, not only taught Joe when he was at Alfred U , but was Joe’s patient and experienced his superb care and skill on a couple of occasions.He will be sadly missed by the entire community
On behalf of the members of the Steuben County and State Medical Societies, I want to express our profound condolences and sympathies to the family,friends, and patients of Dr. McCormick.
He was an active and valued member of our medical societies. By his actions and deeds he represented all that is good about the profession of medicine.
His voice will be missed.
Dear Pat & Family-
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. The community has lost a great doctor and a great citizen.
A little more than a year ago I had the misfortune to require Dr. Joe’s services on an emergency basis. As it turned out, I made it through my ordeal to the other side. I had great respect for his skill and dedication to the community that he served. His energy and commitment seemed endless and his service to the community will not soon be forgotten. God bless.
Tim Koegel
Dear Pat and family-
What a shock….while he was making me feel better about my own problems he was bearing the weight of his own. I will never forget, a little over a year ago, watching the hands on the clock in the hospital inch to the appointed hour when I would be wheeled into the O.R. for SOMEONE to carve out my angry appendix. After it was all over, I was grateful to learn I had the best guy for the job, not the feared, unknown Dr. Nick (as in the Simpsons). He slid me through that and another frightening episode, and I am forever indebted. He will be missed and I hope the knowledge of his contribution to the well-being of so many “strangers” will permit you all to feel him living on as you look around and see all those he helped.
Thank you both so much. Susan Greene
Dear Pat, Morgan and Shannon,
My deepest sympathy for you all at this time. He was such a great man. I remember when I had to have a tonsillectomy in 2003, he checked in on me and assured me that my voice would return to normal, even though I was sure it wouldn’t. I wasn’t even his patient. That’s just the kind of guy he was. I’m sorry I can’t be there in person at this time, but know that I love you all, and I have had him in my heart and thoughts since I found out on Monday.
Ever so,
Joseph