Jerry L. McCormick

Jerry Lee McCormick, age 57 of Bellbrook, passed away at Hospice of Dayton on January 9th, 2024 at 4:05 am after a long and hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.


Jerry grew up in Kettering, Ohio, where he was employed at Birchwood Swim Club for several years in the 1980’s. He also worked at an Italian restaurant where he perfected his culinary skills, most notably his famous chicken marsala.


As a young adult, he gained employment at Emery Air Freight. There he began as a cargo handler and worked his way up to a freight supervisor. Along with bringing him many great memories and friends, this job also gave him the skills needed to pack our minivan like no other for various family vacations.


Being left without a job, Jerry hit the books and learned the field of IT. This prepared him for a successful career at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He continued to expand his education which eventually led to the field of security. No matter what position he held at Wright-Patt, Jerry gained a lot of great experiences and made tons of lifelong friends who remained by his side and continue to support us as well.


Jerry enjoyed a variety of hobbies, many of which involve water. He loved scuba diving, boating, water skiing, swimming, kayaking, and perhaps most of all, fishing. This love of fishing took him on countless fishing trips with some of his closest friends over the years. He was also an avid fan of the Cleveland Browns and USA Soccer.


Jerry was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a loyal friend. His sense of humor and witty personality made him a joy to be around. He always gave perfect advice that helped his kids navigate growing up and become who they are today. Jerry was a thoughtful and thorough problem solver, often thinking of others’ perspectives when making decisions. He always looked out for the underdog and for anyone who needed a friend. We couldn't have asked for a better person to share our lives with.


Jerry truly lived his life as a child of God. Growing up, he attended church regularly with his parents and continued this practice into adulthood. Jerry worshiped Him not only during church services and prayer, but also in the way that he lived. Striving to be more like Christ, Jerry generously helped others whenever he saw a need. His actions here on earth were encapsulated in his motto, “love the one in front of you.” Through his words and actions, Jerry shared God’s love with all those around him.


From no matter what perspective a person had of Jerry, they could always see what a precious commodity his family was to him. Jerry’s home life growing up was lively, including hours of bike riding and trips to the pool, only arriving home once the street lights turned on. Although he was a bit younger than his brother, John, and grew up at a different time, John remembers playing with him everytime he came to visit, as well as the adventures from several family trips to Wild Dunes, South Carolina. When John and Sue were married and his nieces, Jackie and Emilie, were born, Jerry continued this cheerful semblance, often including them in his social life, thereby blending his family and his friends as he so often did.


As a young man, Jerry, along with his family, cared for his dad during a long and difficult illness. Jerry faithfully remained by his side throughout that process. After his dad’s death, Jerry and his family continued to love and support each other while keeping his father’s memories alive.


Jerry and Rita met through mutual friends in 1992. Jerry sacrificed watching the Browns Steelers game to go hiking with Rita at John Bryan State Park for their first date in October, 1993. They fell in love through their countless adventures and were married on October 26th, 1996. Long before they even walked down the aisle, Jerry had become an important part of the Kappeler family.


When his children were born, he assumed the role of a parent seamlessly. He was an equal caregiver along with Rita to Kiersten and Keenan. It was obvious that they had an unbreakably tight bond from early on. His playful demeanor kept our house full of love and laughter, even to this day. Kiersten and Keenan especially remember Scooby-Doo marathons, living room wrestling matches, being thrown to ungodly heights at the local swimming pool, and getting torpedo launched off of the tube while boating. Jerry’s favorite local lake, of course, was Caesar's Creek Lake, where he taught the kids everything they know about watersports and boating.


Some outdoor adventures he provided were overnight outings at our trailer at Greene County Fish and Game Club. Here, his disdain for Canadian Geese (“poop machines”) was solidified from an actual goose chase with the goose on offense, Keenan on defense, and Kiersten as an amused spectator (obviously, Rita was working that night). Lake Tanzi was also a favorite spot that we frequented in the summers, it provided us with great memories of fishing and boating together.


The McCormick family vacations were notorious for providing us with (endearingly) weird moments. One of the more recent memories that comes to mind is our trip to Vermont where everything was closed except for the giant middle finger that Jerry spotted on the side of the road (to clarify, it was a wooden statue).


We would be remiss if we failed to mention the importance and significance of Jerry’s many friends. Jerry and his friends often spent many nights catching catfish at the local lakes, going on fishing trips to the Maumee River and elsewhere, attending several Browns games, playing darts in local bars, catching up over breakfasts, and whatever else they could get into. He truly recognized how special each and every one of them was to him.


He was preceded in death by his parents, Doris (Haseley) McCormick and Hervey McCormick; in-laws Dolores (Lochtefeld) Kappeler and Robert Kappeler, Jr; niece Teelah (Shanks) Kappeler.


Jerry is survived by his wife of 27 years, Rita (Kappeler) McCormick; his daughter Kiersten McCormick; his son Keenan McCormick; his brother John McCormick; his sisters-in-law Sue (Stouder) McCormick, Nancy (Kappeler) Schroth, Janet (Kappeler) Micheals, Renee (Neese) Kappeler, Susan (Herman) Kappeler, Anne (Reboulet) Kappeler; his brothers-in-law Richard Schroth, Ronald Kappeler, Kenneth Kappeler, Daniel Kappeler, and Harry Micheals; his nieces Emilie (McCormick) Jones, Jackie (McCormick) Kaiser, Elizabeth (Schroth) Medaugh, Rachel (Schroth) Nietfeld, Melissa (Schroth) Niekamp, Krystal (Kappeler) Wheeler, Kinsey Kappeler, Katie Kappeler, Kera Micheals, Jalise (Stough) Kappeler; his nephews William Jones, Michael Kaiser, Mark Kappeler, Benjamin Micheals, Jason Micheals, Jeremy Medaugh, Eric Nietfeld, Zachary Niekamp, Garrett Wheeler, Matthew Cunningham; and countless great-nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.


The family will greet friends on Thursday, January 18th, 2024 from 4:00-7:00 pm at Westbrock Funeral Home, 1712 Wayne Ave, Dayton, OH, 45410.


Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 am on January 19th, 2024 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 6245 Wilmington Pike, Centerville, OH, 45459. Burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery, 1625 Calvary Drive, Dayton, OH, 45409. Lunch will be provided at St. Francis of Assisi Parish following the graveside service.


We would like to recognize the wonderful and compassionate care that Jerry had received from the staff at Dayton Physicians Network, especially Dr. Charles Bane, Renee Roth, NP, and his favorite nurse, Rhonda, RN.


We would also like to thank the staff at Hospice of Dayton, especially Caleb, Angela, Kaitlin, and Karen; you were amazing in helping Jerry and his whole family through a very difficult time.



In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:


Pancreatic Cancer Action Network https://secure.pancan.org/site/Donation2?df_id=7681&mfc_pref=T&7681.donation=form1&s_src=direct+response+fy24+-+jan+clinical+trials+media&s_subsrc=direct+response+fy24+-+jan+clinical+trials+media_pd+search_pd+search+-+conversion_digital+advertising_general+public&utm_source=pd+search&utm_medium=digital+advertising&utm_campaign=direct+response+fy24+-+jan+clinical+trials+media&utm_term=general+public&utm_content=pd+search+-+conversion&utm_campaign=direct+response+fy24+-+evergreen+media&gclid=CjwKCAiA44OtBhAOEiwAj4gpOT70w_81FGGhHBgfXDCDvt66QVuXaen9Oh2G57wb5xyTp8kUx-wdiRoC4QkQAvD_BwE


Lutheran Hour Ministries

https://give.lhm.org/give/424158/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=24CMN20AA


Seena Magowitz Foundation

https://seenamagowitzfoundation.org/make-a-difference-fight-pancreatic-cancer-with-your-online-donation/


Hospice of Dayton

https://www.ohioshospice.org/give/



We would love for family and friends to send us stories of Jerry to remember him by. Stories may be sent to kierstenmcc@gmail.com . If there are any photos you would like to share we would love to see them as well.