BOONE, Iowa—Leon Cornelis, 91, of Boone, passed away Friday, November 1, 2024 at the Boone County Hospital.
Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel, 1006 6th Street, Boone, with a Rosary beginning at 4:30 PM. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at the Church of the Sacred Heart, 915 12th Street, Boone. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Boone, with full military honors by the Boone Veterans Council.
Leon was born April 10, 1933, in Belle Plaine, Iowa, the son of Belgian immigrant parents Henry and Augusta (VanKerkvoorde) Cornelis. He graduated from Belle Plaine High School in 1951 and then joined the United States Army and served from 1953 to 1955 during the Korean Conflict.
Leon was united in marriage to Shirley Shoemaker on August 10, 1963, at St. Michael’s Church in Belle Plaine. Soon after, they moved to Nevada, Iowa, and then in 1965, to Boone.
Leon was employed by the Iowa Department of Transportation for 45 ½ years and retired as the District 1 Land Surveyor on March 31, 1997. He was an active member of the Society of Land Surveyors of Iowa, receiving the Excellence Award for his contributions to the Society in 1981. In 1994, Leon received the John Reineke Award, for outstanding service to the Society. He was a charter member of the Mid-Iowa Association of Land Surveyors.
Leon was a member of the Knights of Columbus, American Legion Post 56, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 817, Boone Veterans Council, and the Boone County Sportsman’s Club. He was an active member of Sacred Heart Parish, served on the Sacred Heart School Board, and was an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and brought the Eucharist to the homebound and the sick for many years.
Leon enjoyed hunting, fishing, and skeet shooting. Monthly lunches with retired friends were also special. Leon loved watching his grandchildren’s sporting and school events.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Shirley in 2020; four brothers, Victor, Julien, Achiel, and Maurice.
Leon is survived by his three sons, James Cornelis of Ames, Michael (Jill) Cornelis of Boone, and Robert (JoAnn) Cornelis of Boone; six grandchildren, Sarah, Ryan, Jacy, Joey, Clay and Maggie; and great-grandson, Ezra.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone. Online condolences may be left to Leon’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com.
Leon Cornelis, 91, Boone, Iowa
