Dr. John McCormick, of Coastal Family Eye Care, stands in the Damariscotta practice on his last day of work before retirement on Tuesday, Dec. 16. McCormick, who worked at the practice for 35 years, said one of the biggest highlights of his career was being able to give back to the community. (Christina Wallace photo)
For Damariscotta-based optometrist Dr. John McCormick, retirement is the beginning of an exciting new era of travel and giving back to others.
McCormick celebrated his last day at Coastal Family Eye Care, formerly known as McCormick & Bouchard Eye Care, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, after 35 years at the practice.
“I have had a wonderful career,” McCormick said. “I enjoy it thoroughly. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a job. It really hasn’t been a job, it’s been a pleasure being an optometrist.”
McCormick started his career as an optometrist in 1988 after graduating from the New England College of Optometry in Boston. He started working for an eye surgeon in Springfield, Mass. for about two years.
“I’m from Portland, and my wife is from Westbrook, so we wanted to come back to Maine, but we didn’t find a position opening available at that time,” McCormick said. “We were homesick for Maine, so we decided to look again in Maine.”
In 1990, he met Dr. Douglas Hancock, who owned the current practice, and was offered a job.
McCormick would go on to co-own the practice with Hancock in 1993, marking a major transition in his career.
“That was a big highlight, becoming a boss and not only working here but owning the practice,” McCormick said.
When Hancock retired in 2000, McCormick became partners with Dr. Michelle Bouchard and took over managing the practice until selling his share to Dr. William Beveridge.
According to McCormick, both Bouchard and Beveridge plan to continue serving the community at Coastal Family Eye Care.
Dr. John McCormick poses for a selfie with his last patient, Joann Ames, on his last day of work before retirement on Tuesday, Dec. 16. McCormick gave Ames a pot of red roses in commemoration of her status as his final patient. (Photo courtesy Joann Ames)
“I tried to make sure before I retired to set it up so that it would be a smooth transition with all the staff and employees,” McCormick said. “It’s grown every year since I’ve been here, so I wanted to make sure the legacy continued, and the practice continued.”
McCormick said one of the biggest highlights of running the practice was being able to give back to the community.
“We did a lot of donating to local charities, and one thing that we used to do on Christmas was pick out a local family that was needy, and we would all pitch in and buy the whole family presents,” McCormick said. “All the employees would wrap the presents together, and we’d get three or four big trash bags of Christmas presents and bring them to the family. And that was a big highlight for me.”
According to McCormick, the relationships he has formed with his patients have been some of his biggest successes.
“The best part about the whole thing has been meeting all the wonderful people and all my patients, and becoming friends and making friendships with my patients,” he said. “I’m very grateful for having the opportunity we’ve had to work here as an optometrist, and I appreciate, you know, all my patients, the gratitude they’ve given me over the years.”
In closing out his final day Coastal Family Eye Care, McCormick left the room to grab a special gift for his very last patient.
Joann Ames, a patient of McCormick for about two years, thought she was having a routine eye exam when McCormick told her he was retiring.
“I go in and sit down in the chair … he told me it was his last day and that I was his last patient,” Ames said. “He went out because he dilated my pupils and when he came back, he came back in with a little potted plant of red roses.”
McCormick and Ames took a picture to commemorate the moment.
“He deserves all the attention,” Ames said. “He’s a very, very nice person.”
McCormick said he plans to spend his retirement traveling and finding new ways to contribute to the area.
“I’ve learned from a lot of my older patients, they always say, ‘Do it when you’re young, travel while you can still do it, because if you wait too long, get too old, you can’t physically do it.’ So we’re going to be traveling,” he said. “And then once we get through the traveling, then I want to do some volunteering. I’m not sure what yet or what organization I want to volunteer for, but I want to do some volunteering to help people.”
McCormick said that helping others is a big part of who he is as a person.
“I’m that type of person, I just want to help people,” he said. “I’m not into doing things for myself, I’m more into just helping people.”
