John William Cornelius 1923-2006

CORNELIUS, GURTNER, EARL, MEYER, SELLE, MCDEVITT

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 11/4/2017 at 18:30:42

John William Cornelius, 83, of 2045 Bennett Street, died Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006, at home.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. Burial will be in East Dubuque (Ill.) Dunleith Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by American Legion Post 6. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. today at Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Home, 1640 Main St., where there will be a wake service at 4 p.m.

He was born on May 6, 1923, in East Dubuque, son of Fred and Eva (Gurtner) Cornelius. He married Eloyse Earl on Aug. 2, 1945, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, East Dubuque.

He graduated from the East Dubuque High School and was employed as a machinist at John Deere Dubuque Tractor Company.

He was a World War II veteran of the Navy who served aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga and U.S.S. Barton DD599. He was on German Sub Patrol in the Atlantic and then in the South Pacific. He fought in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands and the Battle of Guadalcanal when his ship was sunk, during the same battle in which the five Sullivan brothers were killed when their ship was sunk. In honor of his heroism and service to his country, he was invited to the White House for a tour and tea with Eleanor Roosevelt.

After his retirement from Deere's, John and Eloyse enjoyed their Rock Hound hobby. They created and sold jewelry at Farmers Market and local craft shows for 35 years.

He was a member of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, United Automobile Workers Local 94, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in East Dubuque.

Surviving are his wife, Eloyse; three daughters, Lyn (Gene) Meyer, and Judy (Bob) Selle, both of Dubuque, and Connie McDevitt, of Phoenix, Ariz.; two sons, Chris (Carmen) Cornelius, and Scott (Vic) Cornelius, both of Dubuque; 15 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Fred Cornelius, of Vacaville, Calif., and Phil Cornelius, of Galena, Ill.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Eugene, who was killed in Italy in World War II; a sister, Ann; and a son-in-law, Jack McDevitt.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hoffmannschneider funeralhomes.com.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Mark Herman, Internal Medicine, Hospice of Dubuque, especially Diane and Jean and our neighbors and friends for their kindness to John in his final days.

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) - Wednesday, October 11, 2006