Mike and I go back a long ways, all the way to college at Va Tech back in the mid-late 60s.   Not only did Mike and I attend many of the same classes in M.E. but he lived down the dorm hall from me.  I was shocked to see his name in the obits of the Va Tech magazine this month (March, 2020) but was a little uncertain due to his first name being Martin.   After communicating with my ex-roommate he found this obituary and we were both saddened to discover that it was indeed our friend from back in the 60s.   I read the notes about Mike's love of cars and I recall this as well.   He had a black '59 Chevy that was his pride and joy in those days and he was truly a "car guy".    I still remember some of our outings in that old Chevy which was a nice car for a student to have back then.   RIP Mike.

I just heard the sad news.

Mike was my boss back when Grifols was known as Cutter and then Miles.  He was a great boss, and a great engineer to work for.

And , although as a fellow mechanical engineer I know that they do NOT teach auto mechanics as a part of the university curriculum, Mike was  a GREAT mechanic.

He helped me with my car on several occasions, but there is one story that needs to be enshrined here.

There was a man who had a relatively new car, but one which developed a problem, and would not run.  He took it to one mechanic, who keep it several days but could not get it running.  He took it to another mechanic, who also worked on it for a while but could not get it running.  He may have even taken it to someone else, but I just remember that he had taken it to two.

After all this, he decided to sell it as a non-running car at a discount price.

Mike heard about it, and went to see it.  Mike looked the car over for a while, haggled with the man a little, then bought the car.  Mike started working on the car in the yard where it was sitting, worked on it for 30-45 minutes, and DROVE the car home!

Such were the skills of Mike McCormick.

RIP.

Mike and Jenny lived next door to us when they lived in California.  We all became good friends and my husband Larry shared with Mike,  their love for classic cars.  I still miss the times we would get together for dinner or an afternoon barbeque.  One memory in particular that I would like to share took place in the summer of 1974.  Mike had spent most of the afternoon rescreening the patio door.  Anyone who knew Mike, knows he was a perfectionist, so his rescreening job was absolutely perfect.  We were invited over later that afternoon for a barbeque.  The knife to cut the meat had been left in the house, so I offered to retrieve it.  At the time, i was 8 months pregnant, so I held the knife in front of my big belly.  Well that screen door was so perfectly tight and without thinking I walked through it, slicing it in the process.  I knew Mike had to be upset, and I couldn't apologize enough and Larry was very embarrassed.   But Mike ended up laughing, breaking the uncomfortable moment.  I don't think I was allowed to carry a knife in the Mccormick household after that.😅
I feel very fortunate that in 2009, I was able to make the trip to North Carolina to visit with them both.  Mike hadn't changed much.  He still loved his cars!  It was great catching up and reliving our time together as neighbors.  
To his children, grandchildren, wife and friends, we are sorry for your loss.
Larry and Debbie Long

I have known Mike for many years.  He and I always talked about the old times in Clayton.   We talked about retirement, or lack of retirement.  He was a gentle soul, a gentlemen's gentlemen and a great asset to Grifols and the Town of Clayton.

I became friends with Mike at work. I quickly learned we shared a passion for classic cars and all things mechanical. I will miss our early morning talks about whatever I was working on the night before in my shop and he would share about things he had been working on as well. Mike was a great teacher and he could always point me in the right direction when I had something I couldn't figure out. I will miss his stories about living in California and the cars he worked on with his neighbor there and the classics that he owned. He also shared many stories about the Clayton site and how it grew and changed over the years. Mike was a hard worker and I think this is one of the things he would want us to remember about him. I respect Mike a lot for his work ethic. Mike is truly a great man and I will always remember the stories and laughs we shared. He will be sincerely missed. 

My deepest sympathy to the families. Mike was such a wonderful person and helped me tremendously when I first arrived at the Clayton site.  He will be remembered for his humor and kindness and deeply missed. 

OBITUARY

Mike McCormick

February 12, 1946 – March 30, 2019

McLaurin Funeral Home & Pinecrest Memorial Park

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