Dee "AL" McCormack

Dee L. “Al” McCormack was a man who knew how to have a good time. He loved sharing his love for life with his friends and family, whether by making them laugh or simply by expressing it in his every day actions.

The early 1920s were a collage of interesting events. There were power struggles in Russian, Babe Ruth was setting records and the first Miss America was crowned. But for most of the people living in the farming community of Lawrence County, Alabama, such happenings were nothing more than headlines in a newspaper. Their lives centered around raising their family and earning a living. This was the life of Jim and Lillie (Culver) McCormack. The McCormacks were cotton farmers on a share crop farm, and in October of 1923, they were expecting their third child. Son Dee made his arrival on October 17, 1923, much to the delight of his parents. The family home would eventually ring with the lively sounds of seven children.

Dee was raised in a strong traditional southern household, where his parents based their lives around family values, hard work and love. They were also regular attendees of Sunday service at the Old Liberty Church. Farm life meant a lot of hard work and Dee learned at a young age how to work the farm. However, there were those days with unpredictable snags. For instance, once when Dee was plowing the fields with a mule and fell, had it not been for another field worker, the mule would have pulled him under the plow and been killed. On another occasion, Dee was standing on a fence watching workers cut up the hogs and again fell, breaking his leg. Dee sought solace from hard work of farm life by spending his leisure time hunting and fishing. He attended Loosier School, where he played basketball, but left after the ninth grade to work on the farm.

Dee was a very sociable young man and had many friends in his community and school. However, it was the pretty redhead girl next door named Pauline Terry, who caught Dee’s attention. The two soon became sweethearts and fell in love. On a hot August day in 1942, the young lovebirds walked hand in hand to the church, where they were married by Pastor Jones. Dee was 19 and Pauline was 17. For their special day, Pauline’s father even bought her a new dress from town, which was a very big deal back then. They couldn’t afford a honeymoon so Dee got right back to working on the farm. Exactly nine months and fifteen days after they said I do, the couple welcomed the birth of their first child, daughter Paulette. She was later followed by Carolyn and Jerry, who would complete the McCormack family. Dee took great pride in his children and treasured their births as the greatest days in his life.

Eventually, Dee moved his family to Paw Paw, Michigan, where he worked as a migrant worker along with several odd jobs, including factory work and at the Paw Paw Laundry. In 1958, he and Pauline divorced after 16 years of marriage. Dee then moved around a bit before settling in the Chicago area. It was here he met a neighbor lady named Elizabeth Bomar, or Betty as he called her. She was from Tennessee, but was in the Big Windy City attending college as a piano student. One tragic day, Dee was hit by a car and hospitalized. It was Betty who visited and cared for him and even took him in her home after he left the hospital. From there, a beautiful romance blossomed and they were happily married by the Justice of the Peace in 1972.

The couple spent the next 33 years making wonderful memories together. They loved to go sightseeing, socialize with their friends and attend horse races, perhaps gambling a bit too. It was said that Betty was an excellent cook and Dee loved to eat, so they were a perfect match in the kitchen. Some of Dee’s favorite meals prepared by Betty were beef steak with gravy and biscuits and gravy. Another activity they harmonized well together on was planting flowers - Betty did the planting, while Dee was the sidewalk supervisor, instructing her on how to do it properly. During his time in Chicago, Dee made many friends and it was these friends who nicknamed him “Al” because he was from Alabama. Dee and Betty moved from Chicago to Paw Paw, Michigan in 1979. Once settled in the area, Dee opened his own flea market business at Busy Bea and sold just about anything, though mainly appliances and tools. Dee absolutely loved his work and had truly found his niche in life.

Dee was a very well liked man due to his easygoing nature. He was quite the character, always pulling a fast one on you, and just about anything he said could put a smile on your face. His happiest moments, though, were spent in the company of his family. When his children were younger, Dee loved to take them on picnics or spend the day fishing and later a fish fry at Silver Beach in South Haven, his favorite spot. Sundays were always devoted to family get togethers, whether visiting someone or simply having a big dinner at home. As a snappy dresser, Dee always looked ship shape when out visiting friends and family, usually donning his favorite outfit of khakis and a white shirt with his jet black hair all in its place. Although, when it came to his favorite hobby of “frog gigging”, he was dressed to get dirty. Dee and his friend, Don Schriner, liked going out in the middle of the night hunting for frogs and they would return with a sack full of them, which the family would then feast on. Dee wasn’t much of a television watcher, but when he couldn’t actually be at a Chicago Cubs’ game, he, of course, watched it on TV, along with the news at night. And above all else, he loved his red pick-up truck.

A colorful and earthy man with a great sense of humor, Dee lived a life full of adventures, hard work and love for family. He will be deeply missed.

Dee L. “Al” McCormack died on Monday, March 21, 2005, at Lakeview Community Hospital in Paw Paw. He was preceded in death by a son, Jerry McCormack, and two brothers, Charles and Luther McCormack. Al is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Bomar) McCormack of Paw Paw; two daughters: Paulette (Wendell) Terry of Moulton, AL, and Carolyn (Jack) Smith of Phoenix, AZ; a daughter-in-law, Toni McCormack of Paw Paw; four brothers and sisters: Jonas (Maude) McCormack of Kalamazoo, Mildred Terry, Ruby Williams and Willidean Livingston, all of Moulton, AL; a half brother, Roger McCormack of Moulton, AL; three step sisters and 4 step brothers; 9 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Learn more about Al, view his Life Story film and visit with family and friends on Friday, March 25, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. at the Betzler & Thompson Life Story Funeral Homes, M-40 South of I-94 Paw Paw, 657-3870, where a Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Interment at Prospect Hill. Please visit Al’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may archive a memory, order flowers or make a memorial contribution to the Hospice of South West Michigan.