Mary Ellen (Zulz) McCormick

Born March 13, 1934, in Peoria, IL. Mary Ellen grew up in Bloomington, IL where she attended St. Patrick’s School and Trinity High School May 1951.

After high school, she attended St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, Bloomington IL., receiving her diploma Sept 1954. While completing a 3-month course in Neuropsychiatric Nursing at Peoria State Hospital, she met her husband (also a nursing student), Robert Eugene “Mac” McCormick. They married on September 25, 1954, in St. Patrick’s Church, Bloomington, IL. They were married for 30 years until his death on July 28, 1985. Together they raised five children while moving between Mac’s military assignments, eventually retiring in San Antonio in 1978.

Mary Ellen’s nursing career spanned 48 years working in medical-surgical and psychiatric nursing units throughout San Antonio, Tx before transitioning to utilization review after Mac’s death. She was in high demand, being one of the first nurses to work in utilization review starting at Afton Oaks, Texas Medical Foundation, Mail Handlers Insurance, and finishing her career at Villa Rosa Hospital. After retirement, she enjoyed monthly luncheons with her retired nurse friends AKA “The Culture Club”

Additionally, Mary Ellen completed a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics at Southwest Texas State University with a focus in interior design graduating Dec 1984.

A devout Catholic and woman of strong faith, Mary Ellen participated in Bible Study, first through Bible Study Foundation, and then at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church where she served as a group leader for several years. She also volunteered with Meals on Wheels delivering meals to those in need.

Quilting was a passion for her. A longtime member of St. Mark’s Quilters she helped make the quilts raffled annually at the Women’s Guild luncheon. The light in her sewing room would shine late into the night when she was really into a project …she was so good at coordinating colors for her quilts and every detail had to be just ‘sew’. She gifted each of her children and grandchildren a handmade quilt thoughtfully designed for them. There were annual quilting retreats at St. Anthony De Padua Church where they would haul half of their house with them, lol. She raved about the quilting trip to New England and the bucket list trip to Missouri Star Quilt Company in 2019 with her friend Trina.

Mary Ellen loved to travel – as a child with her parents on the train to Chicago; road trips with her parents to visit extended family in Detroit. She loved going home to Illinois for her high school and nursing school reunions to reconnect with classmates and visit her aunts and cousins who she stayed in touch with mostly by phone and/or letters. She shared fishing with her young granddaughter, Erin, on day trips to Boerne Lake. She cruised in Alaska w/Erin (Teresa got a T-shirt!); She traveled to England, Italy, and Ireland with a travel group; to Scotland w/Teresa; on Painted Churches Tour with Denise; took Texas road trips to Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Austin, and Tyler to visit her children and grandchildren and later to Missouri, Kansas and Illinois to visit granddaughter Erin and Matt. And with her nursing friends of 30+ years Georgeann Jackson and Trina Horvath, both of whom preceded her in death in 2025, they fondly called themselves “The Golden Girls.”

Mary Ellen was intelligent, kind, displayed a sharp wit, and enjoyed a wide variety of other interests:

• She loved the arts and art history, the symphony, and visiting museums as well. She was an usher/volunteer at Majestic Theatre for years w/longtime friends Ed and Fran Shinskie, enjoying all the productions she was able to see for free, that was the best part!

• She was a voracious reader of mysteries, historical fiction, biographies, or anything available

• She enjoyed cooking and baking. She had stacks and stacks of Southern Living cookbooks! Her cranberry salad recipe was the most requested at Thanksgiving …. and she never turned down a glass of wine with dinner!

• She loved British television including Benny Hill, Keeping Up Appearances, Agatha Christie, Poirot, Poldark series (after she had read the whole series), Downton Abbey and so many more!

• She was known for her clever strategic play in board games like Monopoly, Risk, Dominoes, and Scrabble at family gatherings. She worked the crossword puzzle and/or Sudoku daily.

• During the earlier military years, Mary Ellen and Mac enjoyed playing canasta, cribbage, and bridge with their friends on base

• She served as PTA president at St. Peter’s Prince of the Apostle School in the early 70’s where her children attended school.

• Mary Ellen had a green thumb and loved spending hours in her gardens. She was a past member of the Begonia Society of San Antonio, and the Herb Society contributing recipes for their cookbook.

• She loved all God’s creatures, the birds and squirrels that visited her yard were well fed and always had fresh water. The hummingbird feeders were rarely empty. She was so tickled when a doe hid her new baby fawn in her front jasmine bed while she went to get food. Mom would keep watch to make sure the fawn was safe. She loved her dachshund companions - Bitsy, Misty, Chloe, Heidi (got to go to grade school w/Erin for show and tell, lol), Schotze (found from an advertisement on a telephone pole, lol), and finally Pixie, a little chiweenie that passed in 2019.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, Lt. Col Robert Eugene McCormick, US Army (ret); their son Timothy Joseph McCormick; and her parents Joseph A. Zulz and Martha (Kopka) Zulz. She is survived by her children, Kevin McCormick (Ellen, and Jennifer Remenchik), Patrick McCormick, Mary (Steve) McLaughlin, Teresa Hayden, and Denise (Michael) Higdon; Grandchildren, Erin (Matthew Garger) Hayden, and Robert James McCormick; and some extended family in Illinois

Our family would like to extend a special thank you to the St. Mark’s Quilters and mom’s friend, Lorna Dressler, for remembering Mom with birthday and holiday cards over the past couple of years. She loved all of you! And to her long-time neighbors Diane/RJ, and Charmaine for always looking out for her.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2026 from 6-7 PM, at Porter Loring Mortuary North, followed by a Rosary at 7 PM

A funeral mass will be on Friday May 29, 2026 at 10:30 AM at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks Dr, San Antonio, TX 78232. Reception following mass.

Interment at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Shelter 1 at 2:00 PM

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Peter-St. Joseph Children’s Home, San Antonio, Texas; The San Antonio Food Bank, the Animal Defense League of Texas, or a charity of your choice.