Clyde “Keith” McCormick, 92, of North Platte, NE and formerly of Valentine, NE passed away on Friday, July 1, 2022 at Linden Court, surrounded by family.
He was born on July 21, 1929 in Sparks, NE, to Charles William and Melva Irene (Bingham) McCormick.
Keith graduated from Valentine High School and attended technical training school in Rapid City, SD. Following that, he attended pilot training in Winner, SD from 1947-1948 where he became the youngest private pilot in South Dakota and the youngest commercial pilot in Texas. He worked as a pilot for three years and during that time he built his own plane out of spare parts. He was married to Betty Foster and they were blessed with four children. He loved taking his children on daring rides in his airplane. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served from 1951-54 as a decoder during the Korean War. His unit was instrumental in breaking the code that helped end the Korean War. In later years, he met and married Marilyn Lou Jones. He co-owned and operated McCormick propane service in Valentine, NE along with his brother Chuck. Being a “jack-of-all-trades,” Keith worked at various jobs throughout his career including cable tv and electrical repairs. Keith volunteered his time as a transporter with the Valentine Hospital, transporting patients from the Pine Ridge Reservation and Cherry Hills Assisted Living to appointments. He was a great storyteller, enjoyed building model airplanes, and was a member of the VFW in Valentine. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Melva; wife, Marilyn; daughter and son-in-law, Linda (Ron) Eggleston; and brother, Charles “Chuck” McCormick.
Those left to cherish Keith’s memory are daughter, Kathy (Tom) Gunderson of Phoenix, AZ; sons, Keith (Ronna) McCormick of Casper, WY and Michael (Shari) McCormick of Coppell, TX; brothers, Gene McCormick of Valentine and Melvin (Tracy) McCormick of Denver, CO; 7 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; and 3 nephews and 1 niece.
Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel with Pastor Anne Durboraw officiating. Burial will follow with military honors at Fort McPherson National Veterans Cemetery near Maxwell. Carpenter Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorials/donations are suggested to Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Nebraska (vfwne.com).