Eva Marie Cornelius, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and a Crookston, Minnesota native, died on her 95th birthday, Saturday evening, August 7, 2010, in St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee at Mequon, Wisconsin. Eva was born in Crookston on August 7, 1915, one of nine children of the union of Tom and Petra (Andreason) Cornelius. She grew up in Crookston, and at the age of 16 devoted her life to doing God’s work. After graduation from high school she went on to attend Northwestern College in Minneapolis. Eva then served as the Director of Christian Education at Salem Evangelical Free Church in Chicago from 1940 to 1943, and Lorimer Memorial Baptist Church from 1943 to 1947. Her next position was as Executive Secretary of the Greater Chicago Sunday School Association until 1953, when she assumed the duties of Director of Christian Education for Menatonka Community Church and the Lakeview Mission Covenant Church. From 1957 thru 1969 Eva served as a Christian Education Consultant for Gospel Light Publications, which allowed her to travel the world. From 1969 until her retirement in 1985 she was Christian Education Consultant for the David C. Cook Company. On December 6, 1988 she was honored for her outstanding service in Christian Education with the establishment of the Eva Cornelius Chair of Christian Education at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Eva returned to the Twin Cities after retirement and made her home in Roseville, Minnesota. In 2000 she moved to Waukesha where she spent the last years of her life in continued service to the Lord. Eva was very proud of her Norwegian heritage and made several trips to Norway to visit with relatives of her mother and father. She will be very lovingly remembered and sadly missed by all who shared in her life.
Eva leaves her only surviving sibling, Dorothy Helgeson of Crookston, MN; 2 nephews, Frank (Vi) Mueller of Menasha, WI and Richard Cornelius of Brookfield, WI; 8 nieces, Fay Thimmig of St. Peters, MO, Donna (Roger) Ulseth of Crookston, Patty (Spike) Thoreson of Crookston, Diane (Everett) Marshall of Thief River Falls, MN, Kay Askesland of San Jose, CA, Beverly Cornelius of Kalispell, MT, Judi (Alyn) Tunis of Highland, IN, and Kathy (Clarence) Smith of Rockmart, GA; and many great-nephews, great-nieces, and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Petra Cornelius; and seven siblings, Emil Cornelius, Magda Vick, Asta Ryan, Paul Cornelius, Evelyn Mueller, Carl Cornelius, and an infant brother, Roy Cornelius, who died in 1921. May God bless the memory of Eva Marie Cornelius.
The funeral service for Eva Cornelius will be held at 10:30 am, Saturday, August 14, 2010, in the Evangelical Covenant Church in Crookston, Minnesota, with Pastor Steve Anderson, officiating. Visitation will be at the church for one hour before the funeral. Interment will be in the Oakdale Cemetery, Crookston. The Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home of Crookston is assisting with funeral arrangements.
