Carolyn Lanore Cornwell

On November 5th, 1927, Neil and Lanore Franke welcomed Carolyn Lanore, their first born, into joyous arms. She was cradled by the small, close knit community of Newton, Illinois, population 2000, where her father the town dentist, and her Grandpa Franke the town doctor. Her sister and lifelong best friend Gloria was born in 1930.

Growing up in a small town such as Newton in the 30s afforded a freedom and innocent joy most can only dream of now. Year round a gang of friends and cousins had free reign throughout the town. The girls would work to sew clothes for their dolls, or play jacks on Betty Lou’s back porch. At night, ghost stories would be told, and sometimes the bravest would tell scary stories on tombstones in the cemetery. In fall, they would rake leaves into leaf houses. In winter, they would make snow forts, have snow ball fights, and sled. The vacant lot next to the house where Carolyn grew up served as a softball diamond, hide and seek arena, and even a sand box.

Carolyn attended 8 years of Catholic School at St. Thomas Aquinas, then attended high school at Newton High. High school years were filled with time spent with close friends, dances, and hanging out at the “College Inn” where everyone went after school to listen to the jukebox and to drink a “chocolate Shortie” for a dime.

Carolyn was always an A+ student, and she graduated as the Valedictorian of her class in 1946. Because she graduated with such honors, her parents gifted her a trip to visit her Aunt Rosie and Uncle Don who lived in sunny southern California. Once there, she decided that was where she should remain to attend college. Attending college at this time, in this setting, was any young single woman’s dream, as all of the service men were returning from the war and going to school under the GI Bill. Carolyn was a stunning beauty as evidenced by her being a runner up for the coveted position of Rose Queen. She met and fell in love with a handsome young man whose family lived in the Pasadena area. Carolyn married Jack Cornwell, the handsome man, July 9th, 1949 in St Andrew’s Church.

Jack, Jack’s father, and brother, Dick, built a small cottage behind Jack’s parents’ stately Craftsman house in Pasadena. This sweet cottage was home for Carolyn and Jack while newlyweds and beyond. While Carolyn worked as a receptionist and did office administration, Jack was able to finish his English degree at Loyola Marymount University. Carolyn always shared that she got her PhT (Putting Husband Through) while Jack was in school, which was common for wives of the 50’s. Jack and Carolyn’s son, Christopher, was born Feb 25th, 1953. Their daughter Diane arrived on August 12th, 1955.

As Jack built his career, eventually joining Walt Disney Studios where he ultimately was VP of the MIS department, Carolyn found countless avenues to employ her creative focus. She made clothes, quilted, crocheted, and weavings. One of her strongest passions was painting with oils, and she painted many gorgeous landscapes, portraits and flowers that many family members have in their homes to this day.

She always worked to create a lovely oasis for her family. They had moved into a new house built in the stunning foothills of La Crescenta in 1963. Carolyn always had the house tastefully and artfully decorated, especially at Christmas when the house was transformed into a Winter Wonderland. The biggest gift generously given to her family was her time and energy. She was involved in the kid’s schools, acted as Camp Fire Girls leader, and was always a positive influence to her kids their friends. As the kids grew up, Carolyn and Jack would regularly meet with fiends, take advantage of cultural events in L.A. and started to travel often.

Carolyn was caregiver and loving support to Jack in his struggle with cancer in their midlife. She grieved his loss in 1988.

Carolyn spent the next years of her life continuing to explore her creativity, and by taking up pursuits like yoga, water aerobics, clogging and Tai Chi. She traveled extensively, including to Asia and throughout Europe. She developed a great interest in the stock market and worked many hours per day on the investment portfolio. She joined an investment club and met many like-minded friends and traveled with them as well. She was a big fan of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger and as an investor in their fund she would like to go to the yearly stockholders meeting in Nebraska.

But by far the biggest focus of this chapter in Carolyn’s life revolved around family, especially the growing families of her children. Both Chris and Diane had two children of their own, Diane and Steve had two boys (Ryder and Jesse), Chris and Evelyn had two girls (Marina and Cosette). Carolyn’s grandchildren brought her great joy and purpose. Because Chris and Evelyn lived close, Carolyn had the great opportunity to be very involved in her granddaughter Marina and Cosette’s day to day lives ¬¬taking them to and from school, caring for them during summer and holiday breaks. She was always a large and loving influence to them. She later hosted Ryder, her older Grandson, for a year while he went to school. These family relationships colored Carolyn’s days, and brought her boundless joy through her days. Carolyn remained close to her sister Glo throughout her life, and they spoke daily in Carolyn’s last years. She always maintained close contact with countless cousins, as well as close friends from her neighborhood, Disney, her investment clubs and her college friends.

Although most of Carolyn’s life was quite charmed, she also knew suffering. She was bed¬ridden when in the seventh grade for almost a year because of a suspected TB infection missing a year of school. Her recovery was also long and painful after a car accident in early adulthood which left her with a broken back, cracked skull and broken jaw. But she demonstrated a grace, strength, and acceptance through these hard periods in her life which she carried with her ever after. These qualities really shone forth with particular clarity in the last months of her life. She maintained her sense of humor and spunk throughout her days.

Carolyn was a positive influence to all who had the luck to have known her. She loved and gave freely and generously. Her loss will be felt by many for years to come, but her many creations and influences will live amongst us forever.