Josephine Mary Madaffari Cormack

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our sister and friend in Jesus Christ, Josephine Mary Madaffari Cormack, on February 14, 2025, who touched the lives of so many of us with her outgoing love and generosity.

Josephine (known as "Jo" to friends and "Aunt Jo" to her many nieces and nephews), was born in Norwalk, Connecticut on May 22, 1932 to Pietro and Teresa (Viola) Madaffari, who emigrated from Varapodio, Reggio Di Calabria, Italy in 1929. The ninth of ten children, she was raised with traditional values of family and reverence for the Catholic faith with emphasis on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. These bedrock values provided the moral compass on her life journey.

Josephine graduated from Norwalk High School in 1950, having worked during her teen years in local factories such as the Manhattan Shirt Factory on Washington Street in South Norwalk. She would often tell stories about the nuns she knew at that time who noticed something about her penchant for learning and approached her parents about continuing on after high school towards higher education. The nuns would become instrumental in helping Josephine develop study habits to help her navigate college.

She would go on to graduate in 1954 from St. Joseph's College (now the University of St. Joseph) in Hartford, Connecticut earning a Bachelor of Arts in Child Study. She would often recount that this experience changed her life.

After her first teaching position at Fitch Elementary in Connecticut, Josephine was hired by the Department of Defense, where she was first assigned to Seville, Spain. It was here that she would meet and marry John (Jack) Cormack, who was the principal of the school where she taught. Together they would continue their teaching careers in Germany. During this time, Josephine enrolled in Independent Study in Special Education at the University of Southern California (USC) at its campus in Frankfurt and also earned her counseling certificate, becoming a well respected school counselor at Mannheim Elementary School, teaching and serving children of service members.

Following the death of her husband, Josephine retired and settled in San Antonio, Texas where she would live out the remainder of her years. She was an avid reader and traveler and was constantly reaching out and making lifelong friends. She loved cooking and entertaining at home hosting dinners or coffees with her delicious homemade pastries. She stayed physically fit as long as she was able, playing golf and exercising with her friends in "the ballgroup." She joined athletic clubs where she enjoyed working out several times a week and even hired personal trainers to help her.

She loved listening to classical music, and appreciated the arts in general, having been exposed to them at a young age when her older brother, Joe, took her to the opera; and becoming a docent later in life in San Antonio enabling her to enjoy theatre productions and make more friends.

Josephine was always conscious of the need to help others, so she found it very natural to make donations to charitable causes on a regular basis. Speaking several languages, she was quite the verbal communicator, relating wonderful stories about her Italian family. She will be greatly missed by all whose lives she touched.

Josephine was predeceased by her parents; her husband; her brothers, Joseph Madaffari, Anthony Madaffari, Peter Madaffari, Vincent Madaffari, two brothers who passed away as infants in Italy, twin brothers, Carmelo and Mario Madaffari; her sister, Rose Madaffari Raymond; nieces, Theresa Arcudi, Rosemary Lanzilotta, Theresa Scibelli; nephews, David Raymond and Peter Madaffari. She is survived by several generations of nieces and nephews.

Special recognition goes out to Sisters Care at the Village at Incarnate Word which supplied the many caregivers for Josephine. Among them, particular note and appreciation is extended to Sandra Leal, whom Josephine referred to as her personal secretary, and Michelle Villarreal for their loving touch and care in her final years and moments.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Rosary: 10:30 A.M.

Mass: 11:00 A.M.

St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church

102 Lorenz, San Antonio, Texas 78209

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the San Antonio Food Bank at safoodbank.org/donate in memory of Jo Cormack.