Obituary of Joe J McCormick

Joe McCormick, 99, of Flagler passed away Saturday Dec. 24 surrounded by his family at the Lincoln County hospital. Joe was born to James Lee McCormick and Irene McCormick on June 8, 1923. He was raised with his 6 siblings on the family farm south of Stratton Colorado. Joe spent his youth helping the family scratch out a living during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. As a boy he walked four miles one way to attend country school. On the way to school, he ran a trap line to make a few dollars selling fur. On more than one occasion when he entered the school the teacher sent him home because his daily catch was a skunk. On another day he set a trap in a small rocky crevice. Upon his return the next day he discovered it was a rattle snake den. The trap is still there! Joe worked for his father and his uncles as he grew to adulthood. He loved attending the area dances. In 1945 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served until the end of World War Two. Joe married his wife of 75 years, Helen Green, in Stratton on October 25,1947. In April of 1948 Joe and Helen purchased their own farm 6 miles north of Flagler. In 1949 they were blessed with the birth of their first child, Don. His sister Jeanne arrived a little over a year later. As young farm owners Joe and Helen did whatever it took to make a living off their land. They sold cream, eggs, and poultry. Joe made continuous improvements to the land and their farm. As the couple acquired more land the farm grew as did the family. Lee arrived in 1953, Karen in 1956, Danny in 1961, followed by Kenny in 1964. In 1967 he put down the first irrigation well. That allowed him to produce corn crops and begin fattening cattle. Joe loved his cattle and horses. As the years past he continued to expand his operation and became a very successful farmer and rancher. Joe’s hobby was working the farm. He experienced the evolution of agriculture from cultivating and plowing with horses to chem fallow and auto steer 450 horse power tractors. Working the farm was about all he did until in his seventies. In 1994 Joe wanted to get Helen away from the farm work and cooking so he built his home in town. He didn’t like living in town at first. Little did he know Helen was thinking the same thing she had to get him away from the farm work. She didn’t like living in town either, but after several years they adjusted and liked it. They enjoyed traveling some and spending some winters in Arizona. Even though they had moved to town Joe kept a close eye on the operations of the farm to make sure those boys were doing things right. Joe was a good husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. His grandchildren and great grandchildren loved him very much. They had a lot of respect for him and looked to him as a role model. He taught his children good work ethics and to be good Christians. He didn’t know a stranger, he talked to everyone. He loved to pull pranks on people and got a big kick out of the results. Joe is survived by his wife Helen, son Don, daughter Jeanne (Ron) Wieser, son Lee, daughter Karen (Tom) Arensdorf, son Danny and son Kenny all of Flagler, CO. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren. Joe was member of St. Mary’s Catholic parish and Nathanial McBride post of the American Legion. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Flagler Community Ambulance Service.