Skip to main content

Norah McCormack

Wed, 02/21/2024 - 16:34

Feb. 24, 1942 - Feb. 15, 2024

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.

Villages

If a Tree Falls In East Hampton, Who Hears It?

A tree once grew in East Hampton. A big tree. A “perfectly healthy tree” that was likely “a couple of lifetimes” old, according to Dave Collins, the East Hampton Village superintendent of public works. Then, a homeowner decided it needed to go and in a spasm of governmental efficiency, it was promptly removed by the state. The tree seems to have fallen victim to a cross-jurisdictional communication gap.

Feb 13, 2025

It’s a Bird Count Weekend

This weekend, as bad weather blows across the East End and you’re staring out the window, why not count the birds that you see at your feeder for the Great Backyard Bird Count?

Feb 13, 2025

A Push for Historic Status in Wainscott

The Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee voted unanimously to write a letter to the East Hampton Town Board calling for the historic preservation of the entire 30-acre property at 66 Main Street, which the town purchased for $56 million last year with community preservation money.

Feb 13, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.