Mary Lou (Gean) Cornell

Mary Cornell, 82, of West Des Moines, Iowa, passed away on March 9, 2023 at Arbor Springs of West Des Moines.

Born Mary Lou Gean on December 18, 1940, in Tyronza, Arkansas, she was the daughter of Onie and Henrietta (Jones) Gean. Mary was the middle child of 11 brothers and sisters. Mary graduated from Tyronza High School in 1959, where she then traded her diploma for a bus ticket to Des Moines. After graduation, Mary worked at LOOK Magazine where she met the love of her life, Willet “Pete” Cornell. They were united in marriage on February 9, 1962, in Des Moines. The couple made their home in Ottumwa, Iowa. Later, they moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa where they raised their family. Mary was primarily a homemaker and in later years, she worked at Wal-Mart, Younker’s, and Von Maur. Mary and Pete moved to Des Moines and then retired to Cherokee Village, Arkansas. They moved back to West Des Moines in 2009.

Mary was a student of the Bible. She spent time each day pouring over God’s word and journaling about what God was teaching her. Mary was a member of the First Baptist Church of Greater Des Moines in Johnston, Iowa. She also journaled a lot of her life experiences. Mary had a passion for serving in the kitchen whether it was at home, at church, baby or bridal showers and family reunions. Among many favorite dishes, she was most famous for her pecan pie. Mary also collected hundreds of cookbooks. She enjoyed picking them up wherever she visited and found that church cookbooks had some of the best recipes. One of Mary’s legacies is the “Gean Family Cookbook” that she, Pete and other family members compiled, designed and professionally published. Mary was also an accomplished seamstress making clothes for her children and a wedding ring quilt for both her parents' 50th anniversary and her daughter and son-in-law’s 25th anniversary. Mary’s health began to decline in 2016 as she started developing signs of Alzheimer’s disease. She moved to Arbor Springs of West Des Moines in December 2020.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Onie and Henrietta Jones Gean; five brothers, Raymond, Edwin, Billy Joe, Larry and Chuck; and one sister, Winnie Lewis.

Left to cherish her memory is her beloved husband of 61 years, Willet “Pete” Cornell; her children, Kevin Cornell and friend, Tammy Golden of Jackson, MS, Laura (Dan) Bathje of Colorado Springs, CO, and Glen (Jill) Cornell of Windsor Heights, IA; her grandchildren, Lindsay Cornell, Kayleigh (Josh) Jolly, Amanda Brady, Seth Bathje, Emily Bathje, Josiah Bathje, Mark Bathje, Nora Cornell and Lily Cornell; 5 great-grandchildren; her sisters, Linnie Eaker of Madrid, IA, Connie Gean of Searcy, AR, and Charlotte Massey (Jerry) of Greenbriar, AR; her brothers, Bobby Gean of Marshalltown, IA, Donnie Gean (Charlotte) of Tyronza, AR, and Ron Gean (Carol) of West Memphis, AR; and her brother-in-law, Carl (Lowella) Cornell of Clermont, FL.

Services will be held at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, IA where family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18, 2023 prior to the service officiated by Pastor Terry Amann at 12:00 p.m. A luncheon will follow.

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