Vadim McCormick, a former nondestructive testing field technician and resident of Oak Creek, passed away unexpectedly on September 16, 2018.

Vadim is survived by his parents, Colonel (Ret.) Adrienne Fraser-Darling and Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Michael McCormick; his loving wife and soul mate Heather (nee Napier); his beloved son, Cavon and step children, Aidan, Liam, and Emma; his brothers, Daniel and Sasha; his sisters Lilya and Carlton; his step brothers, David (Cortney), Timothy (Elspeth), and Sean (Pollie), and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and other family members and friends.

Vadim (nee Birukov) was born in Zlatoust, Russia on July 3, 1988. At a young age, Vadim, along with his brothers Daniel and Sasha were placed in orphanages and were ultimately adopted into loving American families. Vadim was adopted by his parents, Adrienne and Michael McCormick of Virginia, who also adopted two girls, Lilya and Carlton. Daniel and Sasha were adopted by his mother’s identical twin sister, Dr. Cynthia Nuttall and her husband, Dr. Eric Nuttall of New Mexico, who also adopted two girls, Mari and Erin. The families visited regularly for holidays, vacations, birthdays, and other family functions. On December 04, 2015 Vadim married the love of his life, Heather, a registered nurse with three children. They celebrated their marriage the following May on Castaway Key in the Bahamas. In attendance were his mother and her husband, Marinus (Rink) van der Have; his mother-in-law, Dr. Nancy Napier, his wife’s aunt, Barbara Nagy, and his three step children. Shortly afterward, Vadim’s son, Cavon from a previous relationship joined his family for monthly visits. The extended family, along with their beloved dog, Roxy enjoyed spending time together going to the park, beach, zoo, and camp ground, as well making bonfires or swimming in the pool in the backyard.

Vadim had a passion for sports, camping, grilling and going to the beach. While in school, he played football and basketball and was a life guard. For the past four summers, Vadim and Heather attended a company outing at the Miller Park stadium watching a Brewer’s baseball game from the Legend’s Club. He and Heather also recently attended the opening game of the 100th season of the Green Bay Packers, where he proudly wore his cheese head hat. Perhaps his happiest times were spent at the beach with his family, both in Wisconsin and Delaware and most recently at a nearby campground with Heather, their kids, and Heather’s family. The camping trip was both a family vacation and celebration of Cavon’s ninth birthday. At the campground he coached his son in pool basketball and enjoyed the zip line, water slides, and jumping pillow, and taking Roxy and the kids for walks. More importantly he proudly demonstrated his grilling and cooking skills by preparing a picnic-style dinner and helping Heather with a brunch for the family.

While Vadim is best known for his kind heart and willingness to help others, for much of his life, he fought many internal battles and tragically lost his most recent one. We can only take solace in knowing that in recent years, he led a happy and productive life surrounded by people who supported him and loved him unconditionally. And now he is at peace. “Even when the surface is calm, the water may be turbulent just beneath” (from Legacy.com).

A funeral service is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 21 at the Molthen-Bell & Son Funeral Home in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The visitation will start at 1:00 p.m.

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