Joseph Wayne Cornelison

Joseph Wayne Cornelison, age 87, of Grants Pass, died Monday, October 27, 2014 at Rogue Regional Medical Center.

A graveside service will be at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at Eagle Point National Cemetery with military honors. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

Donations may be made to Parkway Christian Center, Mission Fund, 229 NE Beacon Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526.

Joseph was born on February 5, 1927 in Fordland, Missouri to Noah & Jemima Cornelison. On October 25, 1948 in Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho he married Helen Zimmerman. From 1947 to 1973 he served in the United States Air Force and earned the rank of SMSGT, Senior Master Sergeant. He was a pilot instructor in flying simulators, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. His second station was at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. He was then sent to Illinois where the family survived a tornado before being ordered to Puerto Rico for three years returning to Castle Air Force Base where he retired. After retirement, he moved to Roseburg, Oregon and worked for Roseburg Lumber. After his second retirement, he bought an RV and together with Helen, they traveled to Florida. He moved to Santa Barbara, California where he studied at the Brooks Institute of Photography and then moved to Indio, California and worked for a photo lab. In 1997 he moved from Indio to Grants Pass.

He was a member of Parkway Christian Center where he enjoyed ushering.

His hobbies included all kinds of crafts such as painting, pottery and jewelry making. He also enjoyed being a pilot and flying small aircraft, scuba diving, cave exploration and teaching the church group boys.

Survivors include his wife, Helen F. Cornelison of Grants Pass; three daughters, Rose Cooper of Santa Barbara, California, Anna Cornelison, of O’Brien and Linda Paulsen of Dacoma, Oklahoma; a son Charles Cornelison of Visalea, California; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a son, Wayne Cornelison in 2009; a sister, Eleanor and four brothers, Ross, Jack, Dale and Elmo.