Burland “Lee” McCormick, II, 47, of Niles, passed away, Friday, April 12, 2019 at his home.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:30 A.M. Thursday, April 18, 2019 at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Private burial will take place at Lincoln Township Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorial donations in Lee’s memory may be made to the Blossomland Learning Center or Special Olympics. Those wishing to sign Lee’s Memory Book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.
Lee was born January 11, 1972 in Bremerton, Washington to Burland Lee & Teresa (McDannell) McCormick. He graduated from Greenville High School in Greenville, Michigan, Class of 1990. Lee attended Lake Michigan College and then transferred to Kalamazoo Valley Community College where he completed the law enforcement academy. Lee was a police officer for the City of Benton Harbor, Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Coloma City. He started with Coloma on September 11, 2001 and felt compelled to take a leave of absence and volunteer for two weeks at Ground Zero. In 2005, Lee gained employment at PepsiCo where he was currently employed as a Service Technician. Lee played baseball for many years and tried out for the Chicago Cubs in Peoria, IL and the Florida Mariners in Ft. Lauderdale. Lee was a member of Fernwood Botanical Gardens where he enjoyed hiking and photographing the beauty of nature. He also enjoyed bowling, camping, kayaking, music and singing. Lee was a certified scuba diver and was working toward his Master Diver Certification. He was a former volunteer fireman for St. Joseph Township.
Lee is survived by his mother and step-father Teresa (Russell) Molnar of Watervliet; his father Burland Lee McCormick of Muskegon; his fiancée Terri Tiller of Niles and her children-Codi Haisley & Sommer Sharria of Niles and her six grandchildren; two sisters-Deborah Southard of St. Joseph, DiAnna (Tim) Sayles of Pflugerville, TX; his aunt Gerry McClure of Stevensville; two uncles Donald (Sue) McCormick of Rothbury, MI & Phillip McDannell of Stevensville; his nephew Jacob (Shelby) Southard of Decatur, MI; cousins Tammy (Rob) & Beth; and his canine companion Cleo. He was preceded in death by his aunt Dawn McDannell, and his grandparents-Dale & Marjorie McDannell, & Burland & Kathlean McCormick.
Posted On: Monday, April 15, 2019 3:42 PM
