A Celebration of Life Service to honor the life and legacy of Esther Cornelius, age 95, of Lakefield, will be held on Thursday, August 29th at 11:00 AM with Pastor John Schuetz officiating. A time of visitation and gathering will be held on Thursday for one hour prior to the service, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Jackson. Burial will be in the Lakefield Cemetery in Lakefield.

The service will be livestreamed on the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center Facebook page.

Esther Mae Cornelius was born on May 28, 1929, in Lakefield, Minnesota to the late Allen and Alta (Swanson) Cederberg. She received her education in the Lakefield Public Schools, graduating from Lakefield High School in 1949. Esther then furthered her education with certifications in accounting and bookkeeping.

Esther was united in marriage to Herbert Cornelius in 1950 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This marriage was blessed with five children, John, James, David, Daniel and Rita. The family lived on various military bases around the United States and in Germany. Esther first worked as an accountant at the creamery in Lakefield, and then as a homemaker for many years. While Herbert fought in Vietnam, the family lived in Seymour, Missouri where Esther worked in a sawmill to help support the family. In 1969 Esther and Herbert separated, she and the kids moved to Lakefield. Esther got a job as a cook for Colonial Manor in Lakefield, and then later as a cashier at Stensruds until her retirement. Following her retirement, she volunteered her services to several organizations in Lakefield.

Herbert passed away in 2007 and Esther continued to live on her own until becoming a resident of the Valley View Manor Nursing Home in Lakefield. She passed away there peacefully, in the early morning hours of Friday August 23, 2024, at the age of 95 years.

Esther is survived by her children, John Cornelius of Grand Prairie, TX; James Cornelius of Minneapolis; David Cornelius of Fort Worth, TX; Daniel Cornelius (Ladda) of Homer, Alaska; Rita Rue (Larry Liend)

of Willow River; 5 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Esther is preceded in death by her parents; husband Herbert Cornelius; one grandson, Christopher Cornelius; brother, Edmond (Eddie) and two sisters, Faye and Joyce.

Blessed be the memory of Esther Mae Cornelius.