Myrtle Elaine Cornelius

Myrtle E. (Gilbert) Cornelius, age 90, widow of Russell, died on Thursday afternoon, October 4, 2018 in the Clark Care and Rehabilitation Center at Clark after a long illness. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 7, 2018 from 4-6PM at the Furness Funeral Home at Clark and after 9AM at the Church on Monday morning. Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 8, 2018 at 10:30 AM in the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark with The Reverend Mindy Ehrke officiating.  Dorothy Fuller will be the organist and Robbyn Gauger-Givens will be the soloist. Honorary casket bearers will be Marie Hamann, Darlene Audus, Bob Forest, Ron Schorg, Dave Haugland, Lorraine Logan, Marivonne Bastian, Willie & Pat Gruenwald and Verlyn & Bud Drayer.  Active casket bearers will be Matt Smith, Greg Cornelius, Ron Givens, Butch Givens, Terry Severson, Mark Law and Brian Somerset. Following a luncheon, burial will be held in Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark.

Myrtle Elaine Gilbert was born December 22, 1927 to Ralph and Nancy (Freeburg) Gilbert on a farm home in LaDelle, SD. She attended LaDelle grade school and graduated from Huron High School in 1945. She was employed at the South Dakota Benevolent Society in Doland from 1945 to 1948.

She married Russell Cornelius June 30, 1948 at the    Lutheran Parsonage in Raymond, SD.  They farmed by   Raymond until 1956 when they moved to Clark.  She was baptized July 6th, 1960 at St. Paul Lutheran Church where she continued to be a member for the rest of her life.

She was employed as Deputy Auditor of Clark County for 4 years before being elected County Auditor for 2 terms.  After that she worked for the Citizens State Bank for 4 years before moving to Minneapolis, MN in 1969, where she continued doing banking and office work until they moved to Florida in 1988. She worked for Kiley Plumbing company while they lived in Florida. She retired and returned to the Clark area in 1990.

Her hobbies included crocheting, playing cards and playing the organ. Over the years she was active in her church, volunteered at the nursing home and "Meals on Wheels".  She loved spending time with family and friends and especially her  grandchildren and great-grandchildren

Myrtle was a kind, loving wife, mother, grandmother,   great  grandmother, and friend. She was always the rock that held the family together. Please watch over dad—until we meet again.

Grateful for sharing her life are her children, Mick (Donna) Cornelius, Sioux Falls, SD, Joyce (Jake Jr.) Hansen of Garden City, SD; 2 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren, Dr. Angela (Mark) Law, Zoe and Zack of Omaha, NE; Amy (Brian) Somerset and Liam of Sioux Falls, SD.

She was preceded in death by husband Russell of 53 years, 2 brothers Keith and Gordon and a sister Joyce in infancy.

The Furness Funeral Home of Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com