Joseph D. "Esky" McCormack

8/4/1939 — 4/19/2017

Service Date: 4/24/2017
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Joseph D. "Esky" McCormack, 77, longtime Lapwai resident, passed away Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

Esky was born Aug. 4, 1939, in Lapwai, to Pete "Fox" McCormack and Mary Sarah (Ellenwood) McCormack. Esky attended elementary and high school at Spalding and Lapwai and was very active in sports all throughout his life. He eventually earned his general equivalency diploma, attending vocational school in Oregon City, Ore.

Esky met his future wife, Margaret (Webb) McCormack, in Lapwai before moving to Oregon. Together, they had three children: Patti, Jack and Pete McCormack. Esky and Marge also raised their two grandkids, Margaret and Jaci McCormack, whom they called their own.

Earlier this month, Esky and Marge celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. While living in Oregon, Esky worked for Westside Auto and Alberta Body and Paint, where he developed a love for auto body repair. During his time in the city, Esky played for the Portland Wolfpack basketball team. He and his family eventually moved back to Lapwai, where Esky started his own business, McCormack's Body Shop. He also worked for his dad, farming for more than 20 years when he moved home.

In his early years, Esky started his coaching debut with the Hooperettes women's basketball team. He and Marge eventually started their own team, the RoadRunners, which became the Nationettes. He also enjoyed fishing on the Columbia River with his family and friends. Esky started as a basketball player under his father, Fox McCormack, playing for Nation, and he also participated in softball as a pitcher. He took over coaching the Nez Perce Nation team as well as hosting the annual tournaments from his father in the mid-1970s. The annual Nation Tournament was held in February and was (is) the third-oldest Indian basketball tournament on the circuit. Esky loved playing but accepted his role as the coach and leader of the new generation of players. He brought softball and basketball teams all over to compete against some of the best native and nonnative teams in the country.

Esky found a new passion later in life - his work for the Nez Perce Tribal Fisheries Program, where he worked for 22 years. He started at the sturgeon hatchery in Clarkston. He loved his job and his fisheries workers, especially the Cherry Lane crew. Through sick days and family getaways, Esky never wanted to miss a day of work and did everything he could to avoid it. He was proud of the work he did and always had funny stories to tell about his gang.

Esky had a great sense of humor but you would never find him being the center of attention. He loved terrorizing family and friends and was the king of giving out nicknames. Through sports, he established many lifelong friends with people all over the country. He enjoyed watching his kids, grandkids and most recently his great-grandchildren compete in sports. His love for his family is immeasurable, and they all knew they could always count on him for anything.

Esky is survived by his wife, Margaret; children Patti McCormack, Jack McCormack (Cheryl), Margaret "Gret" McCormack (Dave) and Jaci McCormack; grandchildren Pete McCormack, Ada McCormack (Chad), Jackson McCormack (Hannah) and Earl McCormack; great-grandchildren Jordyn, Jaelyn and Joslyn McCormack-Marks, and Evyn McCormack; sister Loretta "Chet" Halfmoon (Ron); brother Jim McCormack; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; son Peter M. McCormack; siblings Robert "Hood," Mickey, Rudy, Melvin and Arnold McCormack; and sisters Veronica "Mae" (McCormack) Taylor, Vera Ann (McCormack) Tuell, Geraldine "Geri" Jackson and Shirley "Shell" McCormack.

There will be a memorial service at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Pi Ne Waus Community Center in Lapwai. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Pi Nee Waus. Burial will follow at the Grant family cemetery, and dinner will follow at the Pi Nee Waus.

Service Information

Date & Time: Monday, April 24, 10:30 AM
Location: Pi Nee Waus Community Center
Corner of Main Street & Birch Avenue
Lapwai, Idaho 83540

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Additional Details: Memorial Service will be Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Burial will follow the funeral service at Grant Family Cemetery with a dinner to follow at the Pi Nee Waus.

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Kent R Meacham

I regret that I was unable to attend Esky's Service. We have been friends our whole lives as were our parents and grandparents. I beleive that my grandfather Merrit Meacham became aquainted with Esky's grand parents around 1905. Being 7 years older than myself I remembe Esky mentoring me in the operation of a pea truck and other farm equipment. I also remember Pete showing Esky and I where the Joe McCormack's house was located off of north Tom Beall road. Pete told us that himself and some of his brothers and sisters were born there. I would enjoy passing on stories and family history that was shared with me. In friendship, Kent. My phone # is 208 413 0166

Friday, April 28, 2017 9:53 AM