Where Food, Drinks & Stories Are Shared
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Dave McCorry

July 13, 1956 - March 21, 2017
Mattawan, MI

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Visitation

Saturday, March 25, 2017
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900

Food and refreshments will be served.

Driving Directions

Service

Sunday, March 26, 2017
1:00 PM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900

Followed by a pizza reception at the West Kalamazoo Christian Church, 454 South Drake Road; Kalamazoo - 49009 (269-375-2202)

Driving Directions

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Gryphon Place
3245 South 8th Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 381-1510
Web Site

The River Church
517 Walbridge Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 345-1150
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ambati
1830 S. Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 349-4961
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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A man who lived his life pouring love into his children every day, Dave will be remembered as the loving father he chose to be. Equally, he showed his wife great devotion and love in their 37 years together on this Earth. He lost his battle with depression but put up a courageous fight for a long time. We will greatly cherish the times in life we experienced with him.

The decade of the 50’s was a memorable time to live. The world had been relieved of WWII long enough to make life a bit easier on everyone, but the struggles with Korea still made many hold their breath in hope of better times. This decade provided the world with many notable and amazing marks in history as well. Breakthroughs in the medical field included the polio vaccine and the ability to successfully transplant organs.

In the middle of the decade, 1956 proved to make its place in history. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act which created an impressive 41,000 miles of open roads for the public to travel. And while these roads were built, rock-n-roll was paving its own legacy with Elvis Presley. He made his debut appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and earned himself a place on US music charts with the song, “Heartbreak Hotel.” On Friday, July 13 in Dowagiac, Michigan, amongst all of the events whirling around them, James and Alice (Johnson) McCorry were making news of their own with the birth of their baby boy. They named him David Paul, and he was welcomed by his big brother, Jim, to make the family complete.

He spent his childhood in Cassopolis, Michigan where his mother was a nurse and his father was a teacher before becoming a principal. The McCorry family spent many memorable times traveling to various campgrounds in the country; in fact, in Dave’s lifetime, he traveled to every state except one! When the family was not on the road, Dave loved to watch and imitate “Captain Kangaroo.” If that program was not on, he would find something to take apart and put back together, as he had a very mechanical mind even at a young age. He was also a bit of a jokester, and he would get everyone laughing one way or another. He even made Grandma laugh when he refused to eat her cooking and would prefer his ketchup and bread sandwiches!

In his later childhood years, he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America which was a good fit for his hands-on personality. He was inquisitive and liked to be actively engaged with the world around him all the time. Sports were another great outlet for Dave. He loved most sports, but hockey and basketball were his favorites. He eventually graduated from Mattawan High School and continued his education at KVCC earning an Associate’s Degree in Metallurgy.

Upon obtaining his degree, he devoted many years to his career in research/development and quality control. Dave had impeccable punctuality in his work attendance, as he never missed a day and would always receive the perfect attendance awards.

Once his adult life was on track, it was only a matter of time before love found him. Through mutual friends, Mary Ann and Paul, a blind date was set with their friend named Pamela Muvrin. They spent time grabbing a bite to eat, dated for awhile after that, and then a little over two years later, they decided to get married. Their wedding was celebrated on November 10, 1979 at the Methodist Church in Paw Paw followed by a reception at The Birches. It was an exceptionally wonderful day, and all who attended had a blast creating great memories together.

The newlyweds settled into married life, and before long their family grew. They celebrated the births of four beautiful children together; Andrew, Megan, Nathaniel, and Marissa kept their parents very busy. The four best days of Dave’s life were the days each of his children entered the world. He was a true family man who supported his wife and his children completely. He was involved and loving, and always made sure his kids were on their best behavior. He earned this right by dedicating his life to them. He would drive the kids to and from practices, cook dinner, and even coach. Amazingly, he would make sure that he and the entire family made it to church every Sunday morning. And one cannot forget to mention the last family member, Kobe. Kobe had a special place in Dave’s heart, as his slobbery kisses and good company truly made him man’s best friend.

The McCorry’s shared many special times together as a family of six (plus one with Kobe!). When his daughter, Megan, was studying abroad in Ireland, the family went to visit her. This trip was beautiful and very enjoyable for everyone but especially for Dave. They also shared an Alaskan cruise with Dave’s brother and his family before his brother passed away. In another trip, they traveled to Florida and soaked up the time together before life changed with Grandpa’s passing. A few trips were enjoyed only by Dave and Pam. One memorable adventure was spent on a river cruise with Grandma where they experienced Budapest which turned out to be their favorite city. Dave took to the water easily and would SCUBA dive whenever he got the chance; the Cayman Islands offered him a SCUBA experience he would never forget.

In times of solitude, Dave kept himself busy. If he was not watching his children in their various sporting events, he loved to garden and tinker around finding opportunities that might need his help, as he liked to avoid paying someone else to do a job he could figure out on his own at no cost. Most of the time, he was successful - he inherited this ability from his father. He would sometimes test his luck with a fishing pole, but if the fish were not biting, he enjoyed learning. He would read and brush up on his history, statistics and random facts which he usually shared in conversations with others. He played hockey when he was younger, but as an adult, he enjoyed watching it even more - especially the Detroit Red Wings.

Dave was an incredibly intelligent and selfless man who loved his family deeply. His dry sense of humor and spot-on jokes leave many moments of laughter in our shared past. He was not one to waste breath on words that were not needed, so we will dearly miss the meaningful words he always spoke. His time spent with us was far too short, but we will keep all of our memories close to our hearts. Dave will never be forgotten, and we will continue to miss him more every day.

David Paul McCorry, lost his battle with depression on March 21, 2017. His wife, Pamela Muvrin-McCorry, survives. Also surviving are his children: Andrew (Kristin Rossi) McCorry, Megan (Scott Jessee) McCorry, Nate (Alicia) McCorry and Marissa McCorry (and grand-dog Annabelle); his mother, Alice McCorry; step-grandson, Scotty Jessee; cousins, nieces, nephews and best friend, Kobe. David was preceded in death by his father, James; and older brother, Jim. Friends and family are invited to visit while sharing food and refreshments on Saturday (Mar. 25) from 3-6 PM at the Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive; Kalamazoo (269-375-2900), where services will be held at 1 PM on Sunday (Mar. 26). Cremation will follow the service. Please visit Dave’s personal webpage at www.BetzlerFuneralHome.com where you can archive a favorite photo or memory of him and sign his online guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Gryphon Place or The River Church.

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