George Alfred McCormick

George was born on September 15, 1924 in Xenia, OH. He died August 31, 2019 in Citrus Heights, CA. He was 94 years old. He would have celebrated his 95th birthday on September 15. George was nicknamed “Pat” during his younger years.

George was pre-deceased by his father, George Henry McCormick and mother, Minnie Belle (Anderson) McCormick, and five sisters and five brothers. George was the youngest of 11 children and the last McCormick of his generation.

George was pre-deceased in 1984 by his beloved wife of 36 years, Martha Jane (Richardson) McCormick. They were married May 30, 1948. They had two children, Nancy Jane (McCormick) McCormick-Pickett of Gaithersburg, MD, and Mark Alan McCormick of San Francisco. George had one grandson, George McCormick Pickett, also of Gaithersburg, MD. Many loving nieces, nephews and friends will miss George.

He graduated from Xenia High School on June 1, 1942, in Xenia, OH. George was a lifelong learner taking many courses from AIR University, United States Air Force, to expand his knowledge and skills.

George was a proud Marine — or as he would say — once a Marine always a Marine. He was a Montford Point Marine. They were the first African-Americans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps after President Franklin Roosevelt issued an Executive Order establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission in June 1941. The recruits trained at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, NC from August 26, 1942 until the camp was decommissioned on September 9, 1949. George was a lifetime member of the National Montford Point Marine Association, Inc., National Chapter.

George was a proud recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal honoring the Montford Point Marines. He was not able to attend the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in Washington, DC. However, George was awarded the Medal in his home in Citrus Heights.

After more than 30 years of working for the federal government, George retired from the National Defense Headquarters Communications & Electronics Engineering and Maintenance Division on December 13, 1979. His posts included Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH; Griffis Air Force Base, Rome, NY; and transferred to McClellan Air Force Base, Sacramento, CA in August 1965.

George was active as a volunteer in several organizations. These included ROAMA/GAFB, a group of former Griffis Air Force Base employees who transferred to McCellan; Meals on Wheels, and Citrus Heights United Methodist Church.

Since 1965 George was a faithful longtime member of the Citrus Heights United Methodist Church. For years he prepared the church for Sunday services by opening the church, turning on the heat or air conditioning, and arranging the seats. He then would go home, get himself ready for church, and then return to usher. George considered the church as part of his extended family.

George was a creative cook. He enjoyed cooking for his family. In fact, he cooked every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

George also was an accomplished gardener. He would share vegetables and fruit, with neighbors, friends and family. He would send boxes of oranges, lemons or grapefruit to family who lived in other parts of the country. We all looked forward to receiving the bounty.

What we want you to know about George is that he was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle and loyal friend. We are sure many of you have “George” stories.

We love him very much.

Mark and Nancy would like to thank the owners of the Tuscan Palms Care Home, Esther and Derek Bolthausen, and the many attendants that provided loving care for George these last three years, especially Cecil Corbin.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Dementia Society of America. www.dementiasociety.org