Kenneth Cornett

(From Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary)

Mr. Kenneth Albert Cornett, age 76, of Joplin, Missouri, passed away Monday, November 27, 2017, at Freeman Hospital West.

Kenneth was born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on February 11, 1941, to the late Nathaniel Albert and Frances (Lynch) Cornett. During his younger years he resided in Arkansas and began working on pipelines, which took him all over the country. On October 31, 1959, he was united in marriage to Wanda Cooper and together they shared fifty-four years of marriage before her passing on March 16, 2014. He moved to Joplin in 1968 and began working as a cement mason, which he did most of his lifetime, and he last retired from International Paper. Kenneth and Wanda were devoted foster parents to several area children and they shared a love of helping others. He had a very caring heart and was always the first to be of help to someone in need. You could often find Kenneth in this favorite place—fishing off his pontoon boat on the lake. He enjoyed all outdoor activities, including hunting deer and elk. His frugal ways made him a natural inventor and his orneriness will be missed.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his biological parents; his wife, Wanda; his step-father, Mack Overton; his step-mother, Ann Cornett; and two siblings, Mary Jane and Eugene.

Survivors include his three children, Kenny Cornett and wife, Jody, of Carthage, Missouri, Keith “Andy” Cornett of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Karen Cornett and fiancé, Tim Geary, of Joplin, Missouri; four grandsons, Jason, Scott, Eric and Elijah; five great-grandsons; as well as a host of other family and friends.

Memorial services for Mr. Cornett will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, December 1, 2017 in the chapel of Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary with Ministers Gary Jones and Jeannie Criddle officiating. Burial will follow at Hornet Cemetery near Seneca. The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Thursday at the mortuary. Online condolences may be sent through our website www.thornhill-dillon.com. 

Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Thornhill-Dillon, Joplin, Missouri.