David Cormak, 69, dear son of the late Robert and Lenore Cormak, beloved husband to Twyla Cormak, and loving father to Katelyn Cormak Taylor (Zach) and Regan Cormak, passed away on July 27, 2023.
David was born on July 7, 1954 in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to Robert and Lenore Cormak. He was the only child of two only children, making him the only grandchild to his grandparents. He was loved and doted on by his family growing up, and his nickname became “Darling David.” Despite all that concentrated attention, he grew up thoughtful and kind. In 1967, when Dave was in middle school, the Cormak family relocated to Chesterfield, Missouri. Dave attended Parkway Central Middle and High Schools and then Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina where he majored in Psychology. He had a great love for the humanities and studied abroad throughout Europe for a deeper dive into those subjects. After he graduated from Davidson, he moved to Dallas, Texas to pursue his graduate degree at Southern Methodist University where he got his MBA.
After graduate school, Dave worked as a staffing recruiter for a few years, before taking a job in Human Resources at RepublicBank Dallas, where he met Twyla. Dave and Twyla married in 1986. They had two daughters; Katelyn in 1989 and Regan in 1993. In 1997, they relocated for Dave’s job change within the bank and moved to Chesterfield, Missouri. Dave continued to work for the bank, which eventually became Bank of America, for 37 years. He worked in Compliance and then Risk Management before his retirement in 2019. Dave loved his work, mainly for the many amazing people he worked shoulder-to-shoulder with. Dave’s job required him to travel around the country and even several trips to China, allowing him to develop delightful relationships with people throughout the bank. Many of his employees, colleagues and bosses have remarked on what a mentor, cheerleader and encourager he was to them. He left a great legacy there through the many people he impacted.
Dave was always active in sports. In high school he wrestled, was on the track team, and played football. He loved playing racquetball in college and throughout his twenties and thirties. He also loved to ski, and the family took several fun ski trips together. Throughout the years, tennis and golf were two of his favorite activities, mostly because of the fun he had with his friends on and off the court/green. In retirement, he was playing tennis four to five times a week and golfing once a week. One of his tennis buddies said Dave always knew the right thing to say to people to make them feel good about themselves.
Travel was a deep love of Dave’s. Vacations took months to plan, and were enjoyed to the fullest. When the girls were younger, the family took a vacation to Disney World, and afterwards Dave always enticed the girls with other, new locations so he didn’t have to go back. As the girls were growing up, the family visited Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Las Vegas; beaches in the Carolinas, the Riviera Maya in Mexico and the Dominican Republic; England; Hawaii; New York City; Italy; San Francisco and Santa Fe. When Twyla had a year-long international work assignment in Canada, Dave would visit, and they enjoyed spending time in Toronto and seeing Niagara Falls and Montreal.
As empty nesters, Dave and Twyla went on some amazing trips together where they met so many interesting people. They went on cruises on the Danube and Douro Rivers, plus small boat cruises to Venice and the Dalmatian coast and Nice and the Amalfi coast. They toured the Grand, Bryce, and Zion Canyons. They took driving trips across the country, including visits to their daughters and friends. Last year, Dave traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio with a tennis friend for the Western and Southern tennis tournament and was able to see some of his favorite professional tennis players play. Dave and Twyla’s last trip together was in May, and they had a wonderful time traveling throughout Portugal and Spain.
Dave and Twyla have attended Chesterfield Presbyterian Church since 2004. Dave was involved with the men’s discipleship program, and it became a wonderful way for him to further develop his personal relationship with our amazing Savior, Jesus. He was blessed to share that journey and develop deep friendships with the men in his group. Through that program they discussed their spiritual gifts, and Dave shared that he wanted “To use my spiritual gifts of enthusiasm and energy to serve the Lord by encouraging, coaching and motivating others to see God’s hand in their lives as they accomplish their goals and aspirations.” We were all blessed by the expression of Dave’s spiritual gifts in his devotion to others, and he will be deeply missed.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.
Chesterfield Presbyterian Church
15037 Clayton Road
Chesterfield, Missouri 63017
If you are unable to attend in person, a livestream link for the service will be available on the Chesterfield Presbyterian Church website (www.chespres.org).