Norah McCormack of Sag Harbor, a social worker who oversaw the women’s mental health unit at the Carrier Clinic in New Jersey before going into private practice, died last Thursday at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital after having a stroke. She was 81.
In Sag Harbor, where she lived full time for 25 years, Ms. McCormack volunteered for many years with the food pantry and was involved with the Friends of the John Jermain Memorial Library.
She enjoyed poetry, time with friends, and laughing “more than would seem possible,” her family said.
Norah McCormack was born in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 24, 1942, one of two children of Charles Ross and the former Margaret Belton. The family lived in Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky., before settling in Norfolk, Va. She graduated from Norfolk Catholic High School, then took a bachelor’s degree in English at Trinity College in Washington, D.C., where she was the editor of the school’s literary journal. She earned a master’s degree in social work at Rutgers University, and worked in the field until her retirement in 2013.
Her first marriage, in 1964, was to William McCormack; the couple later divorced. In 2008, Ms. McCormack married Gordon Boals, who survives and continues to live in Sag Harbor.
In addition to her husband, Ms. McCormack leaves three children: Bridget McCormack of Ann Arbor, Mich., a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Michigan; Mary McCormack, an actress and author living in Los Angeles, and Will McCormack, an Oscar-winning writer and director, also of Los Angeles. She leaves nine grandchildren. Her brother, Charles Ross Jr., died before her.
Ms. McCormack was cremated. A memorial service is planned for April in New Jersey. Her family has suggested memorial donations to the Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry, P.O. Box 3191, Sag Harbor 11963.
