Jean Ann M. Cornish (1933-2020)

CORNISH, MITZ, BANCK

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 9/23/2020 at 21:45:38

Jean Ann M. (Banck) Cornish, 87, of Dubuque went to be with God on Monday, September 21, 2020.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday, September 26, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2215 Windsor Ave., Dubuque, and will be live-streamed on the Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home Facebook page. Rev. Mark Kwenin will officiate. Masks are required at the funeral home and church. Friends may greet the family from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 26, at Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 JFK Rd., Dubuque. Interment will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Jean was born in Dubuque to Joseph and Margaret (Mitz) Banck on August 21, 1933. She married her sweetheart, Donald Cornish, on June 14, 1952 at Sacred Heart Church. They were married 68 years until Don’s death on July 25, 2020.
Jean and Don loved to travel the United States every summer and packed up the car with their children and drove everywhere. They built a house together for their family and she made it a home. Don took care of her and made sure she had everything she wanted. He loved and respected her and she was his princess.

Jean had a giving heart and enjoyed caring for her husband and children and she spoiled all of us even over her own needs.
 Jean loved her family as it grew to include many grandchildren and many many more great grandchildren. At any time she was always there for us at a moment’s notice to babysit or just to listen and share her wisdom and loving support to each one of us.

Jean was a very smart woman and enjoyed watching Jeopardy, reading mysteries, crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. Jean always had time to play games, any games from board games to word games to card games with family and friends. She loved to watch tennis and bowling. In her younger years she played volleyball, baseball and tennis. She bowled in mixed leagues with her husband and children and she bowled in women’s leagues over the years. She was a very good bowler. Jean and Don both had a good time dancing every Saturday night to country music over the years. She also liked to walk the length of Central Avenue every evening that she could. Jean was an athletic woman and even in her 70s her great grandson told her she should be on a baseball team, he thought she was so good.
 Jean was also a volunteer at the Mississippi River Museum, Arboretum and Luther Manor playing euchre for many years. Her career was being a loving wife to Don and loving mother to her 4 children and making her home.

Jean and Don took many trips to Florida to visit their daughter Karen. Karen will always remember their many long talks while walking with Jean on the beach and on the Heritage Trail in Dubuque that she will cherish forever. Rick also has fond memories of his mom on several fishing trips with his parents to Lake Okoboji and catching lots of fish. Pat has good memories of mom just calling her to pray with her and Sunday evenings at Music in the park with her parents. Steve’s special memory is of bowling in a mixed doubles league with his parents and winning two years in a row. One year they tied for first place and had a bowl off. Mom bowled so good she won it for them. She was quietly competitive and we all know that from the many games we played with her whether it was a card game or a marathon dominoes game. She liked to win!

Jean gave all of us many cherished memories of family gatherings in their home from birthdays to Thanksgiving’s and Christmases that we will have for a lifetime. Jean fulfilled many roles in her life, she was a very much loved big sister, a beautiful loving wife to Don, and a loving guiding light to her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.
We will all miss her laughter, her wisdom, her smile, and her gentle kindness, but mostly her bottomless supply of love and support for us all. You will be forever in our hearts and our thoughts and we know you’re with dad and Jesus.

The family she loved so much included four children Rick (Mitzi) Cornish of Dubuque, Karen Cornish of Melbourne Fl, Pat Richey of Dubuque, and Steve (Carolyn) Cornish of Dubuque; grandchildren Ami (Chad) Guler of Hazel Green WI, Christian (Kayla) Cornish of Green Bay WI, Sorcha Cornish-Carpenter of Cannon Falls MN, Danielle Richey of Dubuque, Brandon (Lindsey) Richey of Cedar Rapids, Nicole Richey of Dubuque, and Elijah Cornish of Dubuque; grandchild in law, Josh Lynch of Asbury; 13 great grandsons; 4 great granddaughters; sisters Dorothy Gray of Dubuque, Rita (James) Moran of Dubuque and Kay (Dennis) Strumberger of Omaha, NE; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald Cornish, her granddaughter Sam (Cornish) Lynch, her brother Richard Banck and her parents.

Condolences may be left for the family at www.egelhofsiegert