Patricia "Tish" McCormick

PATRICIA “TISH” McCORMICK, WIFE, DOG LOVER, POLITICAL OPERATIVE AND REAL ESTATE AGENT, DIES AT 77

When it comes to describing Tish McCormick, her friends and family all have the same descriptives: fun, smart, generous, and loving. The primary beneficiary of those qualities, especially the “loving” part, was her husband of 50+ years, Mark McCormick. He adds one more adoring adjective, beautiful. He loved her beautiful face.

Tish died after a prolonged illness on March 10, 2026.

Patricia “Tish” Zampieri was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in May 1948 to her parents Lucille (Miles) and Almo Zampieri. The family, which included her older brother, Peter, grew up in Tenafly, NJ. Her father owned the Zampieri Brothers Bakery in Greenwich Village which provided baked goods both to retail establishments and wholesale to hundreds of the top restaurants in the New York area.

Tish loved being outdoors and won awards for her athletic endeavors on water and dry land. Always outgoing and sociable, she graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School and then in 1970 from Beaver College (later renamed Arcadia College) in Glenside, PA.

After graduation, she moved to New York City and began a successful twelve-year career in political research and marketing. She worked with the firm Tully Plusser where she managed state and federal campaigns, including presidential races. Her engaging personality and professional acumen created friendships and built respect in Washington, D.C. and around the country from both sides of the aisle.

In 1971 she became a member of an “all girls” ski house near Londonderry, Vermont. Just up the hill was another ski house where Mark McCormick was a member. One evening, he walked down to the other house an invited the women over the next day, which was New Year’s Eve. It was that night that Mark first saw Tish Zampieri’s “beautiful face.”

They married on September 27, 1975, in Englewood, New Jersey and moved into an apartment in Knickerbocker Towers on New York’s upper east side. Three years later, they moved to the “burbs” to a house in Port Washington, Long Island, a block away from the house where Mark had grown up and where his parents still lived.

After four years of commuting on the Long Island Railroad, Tish left politics and went back to school, earning an MBA at Long Island University in Brookville. Her interests then turned to real estate, and she became an agent with Berkshire Hathaway in Manhasset, eventually becoming its office manager for six years, beginning in 2002.

In 2001 Mark and Tish started spending time in Florida during the winters. Mark retired in 2007 and Tish joined him in retirement in 2008. They moved to Florida and settled in Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville. Once again, Tish’s gregarious nature led them to build a network of close friendships with their neighbors at the Sawgrass Country Club. She was an accomplished home chef, and friends were always eager to come to Tish and Mark’s for dinner. Friends loved Tish’s cooking, but they also cherished the sweet harmony that defined their marriage. They just fit together perfectly.

Tish was a competitive bridge player and a member of the Sawgrass Women’s Club where she and her partner won the Marathon Bridge Tournament in 2025. As testament to how beloved both Mark and Tish are in their community, Mark has been substituting for Tish in this year’s tournament at the Sawgrass Women’s Club, taking her seat at the bridge table.

In addition to her loving husband Mark, Tish is survived by her sister-in-law Pat Zampieri, Mark’s brother, Brian and his wife Susan.

Tish adored her nephews and niece. She leaves her nephew Andrew, his wife Beth, and their three children -- Drew, Weston, and Lucy. She leaves her niece Catherine, her husband Shane, and their children -- Sawyer and Price,

In addition to her parents and her brother Peter, Tish was predeceased by Mark’s parents Tom and Marian McCormick.

Mark and Tish were passionate dog lovers, and over the course of their marriage their immediate family included five very spoiled dogs, all of whom predeceased them: Oreo, Peanut, Pepper, Coconut, and Casper.

Services have been held and were arranged by the Quinn Shalz Funeral Home in Jacksonville Beach.

In lieu of flowers, Mark asks that you make a donation in Tish’s memory to your favorite charity, especially if it benefits animals.