Robert John McCormick passed away on November 5, 2025, in Huntsville, Alabama. Bob lived in Decatur, Alabama with his wife, Lorainne McCormick, since 1978. Born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1942, Bob graduated from Saginaw High School with the Class of 1960. After graduating, Bob joined the air force and was stationed at the Karamürsel Air Station in Turkey, before serving in Lahore, West Pakistan, where he met and married his wife, Lorainne. They moved back to Saginaw together in 1965 and had two children, Christopher McCormick and Adrienne McCormick.
Bob never met a stranger. He was close with many friends and family members that he would see and communicate with frequently, and he was loved and remembered well by people he only met a few times in life. He had many hobbies and would embrace them with his whole self. He and Lorainne shared lifelong loves of travel, reading, beachcombing, and playing cards.
Second only to his love for his family was his love of flying. He logged over 12,000 flying hours in his life, and many of those hours were dedicated to teaching others how to fly. He learned how to land his Piper Cub on floats on the Tennessee River and on snow skis at Dart Field, in Mayville, New York. He knew more about airplanes and the history of aviation than most humans on the planet, and he loved sharing that knowledge with others.
After major heart surgery in 2008, Bob spent less time in the air and turned his interests to photographing the beauty around him. He shared his photographs with hundreds of followers, capturing the little foxes and sand hill cranes in Decatur, the osprey and bald eagles of Oswego, NY, countless other birds and spiders, and always, he attempted to capture the perfect shot of the moon.
He spent many weeks at Orange Beach over the years with Lorainne, his kids, and their kids, and he became a licensed HAM radio operator in his 70s. He never tired of learning and was an inspiration to all. His daughter Adrienne became a college professor and now works as a Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Redland, in Redlands, California, and his son Chris became an airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization and an aviation engineering production planner at Science and Engineering Services in Huntsville, Alabama. His grandkids all share his love of travel, learning, and discovery – and will keep his memory alive for many years to come.
He is survived by his wife Lorainne McCormick, son Chris McCormick and daughter-in-law Judy Craig McCormick, daughter Adrienne McCormick and son-in-law Brian Davis, and grandchildren Kayleigh McCormick, Kai McCormick, Indigo Davis, Rouen McCormick, and Kellen Davis, as well as his sister Geraldine Putnam, and nieces Annette Putnam, Alicia Farnham, Andi Putnam Roche, Alexandria Sue Putnam, April Putnam Medina, and was predeceased by niece Angie Putnam.
A celebration of life will be held at Shelton Funeral Home in Decatur, Alabama, on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in his memory and in recognition of his many years of support to their cause.
