Monday, January 28, 2008

Kevin M. Cornelius 1957-2008 Semper Fi, Dad

Kevin Mark Cornelius, 50, of Spanaway, died January 27, 2008 at Harborview Medical Center. He was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma on January 28, 1957 to William Lester and Agnes Marie Cornelius (Schaeffer). Kevin attended Visitation School from 1963 to 1971 and graduated from Mount Tahoma High School in 1974. He joined the Marine Corps in 1976, and after four years switched services to the Navy. In 1983, Kevin was medically retired from the Navy due to a brain hemorrhage. He was a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans organizations. He married Marilyn Elizabeth Smith in 1978. They were married for 17 years and had three children. After he was discharged from the Navy, Kevin worked at Wells Fargo for a few years and then joined the Post Office, where he worked from 1986 to 1996. Kevin loved square dancing and met Beth Ann Sanders (Henderson) in 1996 and married her one year later. He and Beth adopted their grandchild Isabelle Marie Cornelius in 2002. Kevin is survived by his parents W. Lester and Agnes Cornelius, his brothers Michael (Debbie) Cornelius and Joseph (Gail) Cornelius, his sister Deanna (Bonnie) Cornelius, his wife Beth, his children: Amy (Robert) DeMarco (Cornelius), Allison Cornelius, and Michael Cornelius, his step children Jayme Hodel (Sanders), Todd Sanders, and April Knesal (Sanders), and many other relatives and friends. The funeral service will be held at Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. The graveside service will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery, Mon., Feb. 4, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. Service directed by Weeks' Dryer Mortuary.