Ellen McCormick

February 18, 2022

Martha Ellen McCormick, 90, passed away on February 18th, 2022 in Windsor, Colorado where she had been living with her daughter and son-in-law. She was born on September 13, 1931 to Sharon and Hazel Byerly in Elk City, Oklahoma. One of eight children, she moved with her family to Colorado during the Great Depression. Ellen was raised in Fowler where she graduated as salutatorian of her high school class in 1949. Classmates selected her as homecoming queen during her senior year. “Ellen” attended Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison where she was a member of the Delta Sigma Epsilon sorority. In Gunnison she met James “Jimmy” McCormick. They were married in Fowler on September 6, 1951 and began their 67 years together in Canon City before moving to Salida in 1959. She devoted her life to raising four daughters and to working as partner and bookkeeper in her husband’s small business ventures which included an auto repair/rental shop and later a construction and roofing company. She was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension where she was active in the Altar Guild, choir, and ministries including the Order of St. Luke. She was appreciated for her strong Christian faith plus her loving and deferential spirit. Ellen also enjoyed her bridge club and especially spending time with her large extended family. Together with her husband, they were lifelong supporters of the Salida community and Republican Party. Survivors include daughters Ginger Soderlund of Denver, Janet Hanley (Mark) of Lampe, Missouri, and Jody Gloor (Cary) of Windsor; sister Wanda Negley of Pueblo; sister-in-law Judy Alexander (Lynn) of Grand Junction; grandchildren Kyle and Eric Soderlund; Andrew, Sarah and Timothy Gloor; Matthew Hanley, Kelly Heim, Colleen Murray, and Christina Sonheim. She also had 12 great-grandchildren. Ellen was preceded in death by her parents and six siblings; her husband in 2019; and daughter Jill Erbsen in 2013. Memorial donations may be made to Church of the Ascension in Salida or a charity of your choice. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later time.