George is survived by his sister Margaret Stansel of Magnolia, Texas; his four children: Dennis and Marion Cornwell of Katy, Texas, Mike and JoAnna Cornwell of The Woodlands, Texas, Randy and Zoé Cornwell of Katy, Texas, Connie Jo and Pat Hudson of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, three grandsons, five granddaughters and one great-granddaughter. He is preceded in death by his mother, Ina May Epley Cornwell, his father, George C. Cornwell, and his sister Ella May Bailey, all of Hutchinson, Kansas.
George was born in Hutchinson, Kansas on April 11, 1925. He attended Hutchinson High School and enlisted in the US Army in 1943 at the age of 17. He served with distinction as a Sergeant in the 2058th Combat Engineers in the European Theatre and a member of a firefighting platoon at the Ninth Air Force bases in England, France and Belgium. He was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for Valor in the rescue of four crew members of a B-26 Marauder that crashed in flames during takeoff. He participated in both the Normandy D-Day landings and in the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, he served as a firefighter for the city of Hutchinson, Kansas and ultimately held the rank of Captain. He operated a Conoco service station at 4th and Poplar in Hutchinson for a year as he continued his pilot training, after developing a lifelong love of flying during his WWII service years.
George was an accomplished commercial pilot with over 30 years of commercial aviation experience in more than two dozen aircraft and 25,000 plus flight hours. He held a “PhD” in aviation with his FAA “Air Transport” rating. He retired as Conoco’s Chief Pilot in 1985 after 22 years of service. In addition to flying Conoco’s executives all over the world, he was also privileged to fly other notables such as President Lyndon Johnson. In his “post-retirement”, he was based in France for several years and flew charter aircraft for a subsidiary of Air France. Those trips included flights for a number of European soccer teams and he made cargo runs in and out of Tel Aviv, Israel during the Gulf War. He continued his charter piloting on his return to the US – one of which was the rock group The Moody Blues during a six week tour of the US.
George was a beloved and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather, an outstanding pilot, outdoorsman, and a true gentleman whose grace and charm were noted by all he encountered.
A visitation with the family will be held from 5 pm to 8 pm on Tuesday, July 21st at the American Heritage Funeral Home, 10710 Veteran's Memorial Drive (just south of Beltway 8), Houston, TX 77038 | 281-445-0050. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, July 22nd in the Chapel of the funeral home at 9:15 am. Rev. John Hull will officiate at the ceremony. The service will be immediately followed by a full military honor internment at the Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77038. All are welcome to come and celebrate George’s life.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like to request donations be made to the American Cancer Association and the Boy Scouts of America - Sam Houston Area Council.
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