Don McCormick

Don McCormick

Marion

Donald James McCormick, 85, of Marion, Iowa, passed away Monday, March 11, 2024. Don was born Feb. 20, 1939, and grew up in Keystone, IA. He married the love of his life, Linda Gatzkie, in 1967 and together they raised their two daughters in Cedar Rapids. In 1969, Don was among the first class of male students at newly coeducational Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, attending classes in the morning and caring for his infant daughter in the afternoon. After he graduated from Mount Mercy, he became an admissions counselor, the start of a 35-year career at the school, including 17 years as director of admissions.

A talented high school athlete and lifelong sports fan, Don made a fortuitous career change in 1990 when he became Mount Mercy’s athletic director. By the time he retired in 2006, Don had started several new sports at the school, including the women’s golf team which he coached and took to 9 NAIA national championships. He was an avid golfer who managed to “shoot his age” even in the last year of his life. His family will miss his kindness, optimism and steady approach to life, best encompassed by the advice he sometimes gave golfers struggling with their swing: “nice and smooth.”

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Irene (Voss) McCormick; brothers, Robert and Melvin; sister, Catherine; and wife, Linda. He is survived by daughters, Karen (Rodrick) Anderson of Hudson, Wis., and Tracy (Sarah) McCormick of Minneapolis, Minn.; and grandsons, Cody Anderson, Colten Anderson and Nate Freeman.

A celebration of Don’s life is scheduled for April 28 from 1-4 at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion. Memorials will be directed to the Mount Mercy University Office of Development in Cedar Rapids and the Brain Cancer Research Fund at the University of Minnesota https://makingagift.umn.edu/give/fund.html?id=1511988036608