Clifford J. McCormick, Jr.

Clifford J. (Cliff) McCormick, Jr., passed away peacefully at the age of 96 at his home in Bettendorf, IA, on September 14, 2022, with his wife of 74 years, Juanita O’Brien McCormick, by his side.

A Mass and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 10:30 am, at Saint John Vianney Church, 4097 18th Street, Bettendorf, IA. It will be livestreamed by clicking the following link: St. John Vianney LivestreamVisitation with the family will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 am in the gathering space at the church. Interment will be at a later date in Litchfield, CT.  Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

 Cliff was born in New Brunswick, NJ, on January 22, 1926, to Clifford J. McCormick and Gertrude Casey, the second of three children. He was adored by his late sisters Eileen (John Wallace) of Dover, DE, and Jeanne (Robert FitzGerald) of Litchfield, CT. Cliff and his sisters were raised in Park Hill, NY, where he met the love of his life, Juanita O’Brien, when they were in their teens. Cliff attended Canterbury School (Class of 1944), in New Milford, CT, where he embraced his Catholic faith. He attended The College of the Holy Cross, in Worchester, MA, enlisting in the Navy ROTC program, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Naval Science. He was deployed to the Pacific Theatre as WWII was winding down. Like hundreds of thousands of his fellow veterans, Cliff returned to contribute mightily to civilian life. He married Juanita and they raised a closely knit family of seven children. He had a fifty-five-year career as a sales and marketing executive with leading companies in office interior design, notably Hauserman, Westinghouse, and Knoll. His work took him from New York City, to Kansas City, to Philadelphia, to Cleveland, to Irvine, and finally to the Mission Hills community in Rancho Mirage, CA. He retired at age 76. Cliff and Juanita’s final move was in 2017 to The Fountains in Bettendorf, IA, to be closer to their daughter Chris.

Despite their many relocations, Cliff and Juanita developed life-long friendships. As a couple they enjoyed golf, tennis, and paddle tennis. Cliff had a competitive spirit, so he was a bit chagrined when Juanita scored a hole-in-one before he did.

Cliff was a wonderful storyteller, constantly amazing everyone with his memory. He was a voracious reader with a wide range of interests. He was a crooner, singing with the high school glee club, and Juanita will attest to his dancing abilities. Cliff and Juanita traveled the world. They visited all fifty states, Canada, the Caribbean, Ireland—to search their family roots—Europe, South Africa, China, South America, Egypt, and the Holy Land. As Catholics and devotees of the Blessed Virgin, Cliff and Juanita made memorable pilgrimages to the famous shrines of Medjugorje, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.

Cliff’s central tenets in life were Faith, Service, and Family. He served on many boards in the various communities and parishes he lived in throughout his life. He was honored to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist for decades, bringing Communion to and praying with the persons he visited.

Cliff’s legacy of Faith and Service continues in his family that survives him: his wife Juanita, their seven children: Chris (Hugh Pries) of Bettendorf, IA; Brian of Litchfield, CT (Lynn Wittenbrink); Sean of Gunnison, CO (Diane Adams); Pat of Springfield, MO (Patrick Gartland); Katy of Toronto (Claude Baillargeon); Mike of Minneapolis (Donna Kellick); Matt of Wilmette, IL (Gayle Newborn); their sixteen grandchildren: Jake and Jeff Pries; Leah Howard, Nicole Fowler, Kate McCormick, Charlie McCormick, Lauren Hefferon, and Emily Ryan; Nick McCormick and Becca Smith; Chris and Matt Gartland; Megan and Maxine McCormick; and Ben and Molly McCormick; and their twenty-three great-grandchildren: Asher, Adie, Celia, Augustine, Maddie, Suzy, Jerome, Dominic, Bibi, Nolan, Quinn, Mac, Jayden, Charlotte, Noah, Abby, Luke, Peyton, Grayson, Jackson, Davis, Layla and Aubrey. Cliff was predeceased by his daughter-in-law, JoAnne Barber McCormick.

The family would like to thank Dr. Elliot Galey and the staff at Genesis Health Care System and St. Croix Hospice, especially nurse Tara Egger, for their loving care of Cliff, particularly in his last weeks, and his granddaughter Dr. Nicole Fowler, who was instrumental in his care.

Memorial donations may be made to Cliff’s preferred charity, Unbound, an NPO devoted to raising people out of poverty (www.unbound.org) or to a charity of your choice.