William Nelson "Bill" Mccormick

William Nelson "Bill" McCormick Jr., age 74, of Ceresco died peacefully on Saturday afternoon, November 22, 2014 at the Pines Health Care Facility in Lansing, Michigan. He was born in Queens, New York on June 1, 1940 and was the beloved son of William Nelson and Regina Marcella (Pretakewicz) McCormick Sr. and completed Engineering School in New York. Bill worked for many years as the owner/operator of a gas station & trucking company in New York, the American Stagecoach Tour Bus Company in California, and as an instructor and truck driver at the Dick Simon Trucking Company in Utah.

Bill is survived by his wife & mother of his children, Mildred Irene McCormick; his children, Laura Ann (Mario) Quintanar, Donna Marie (Dwayne) McCormick, Kathleen Jean (Stephen) Rennecker, William Nelson McCormick III., and Deborah Lynn (Kris) Kavanaugh; his mother, Regina; 20 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; a brother, Robert (Sandy) McCormick, and 3 sisters, Judy Drake, Patty (Ray) Fleming, and Jeanie (Tom) Zabel. He was preceded in death by his father, William Nelson Sr. and his grandson, "Baby Max".

Bill truly loved his dogs, Koda 1, Vlad, Koda 2, and Katie, now in the care of Kathleen. Very dedicated to his Catholic faith, Bill grew up in New York and served as a church altar server and most recently was active at St. Philip Roman Catholic Church, Battle Creek. Bill loved building things with his hands and enjoyed woodworking, building hobby trains, and model ships & airplanes. Bill always dreamed of growing a Christmas Tree Farm. He enjoyed reading and watching outdoorsman shows and magazines. Bill had always wanted to be a pilot and enjoyed flight simulators. A true music lover, he played the piano & accordion and enjoyed all types of music, but especially Celtic music, Contemporary Christian, Gospel and Classic Hymns. Bill was compelled to collect things, including practical and sentimental items, and stored them in cardboard boxes, and would organize, stack and sort through them on a regular basis.

A visitation will be held 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, November 30, 2014 at the Farley-Estes & Dowdle Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00 a.m., Monday, December 1, 2014 at the St. Philip Roman Catholic Church, Battle Creek. Interment will follow at the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Battle Creek. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to the family. Personal messages for the family may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.