Phyllis Cornish

Phyllis Emily Cornish was a determined mother who raised all of her children in her own proud example. Through both good and hard times, she taught her kids the importance of integrity, honesty, and respect. Whenever someone needed her help, Phyllis was always there. She kept her family in the front of her mind, and she was the happiest when her sons were happy.

In the year 1917, America was in the midst of the uncertainty of World War I. With the slogan “Remember the Lusitania!”, a passenger ship sunk by German U-Boats, President Woodrow Wilson brought his country into the war in Europe. Despite the uncertainty of the era, Floyd and Agnes (Drake) Judson kept their cheerful spirits by focusing on two new blessings in their life together. On June 21, 1917 following her twin brother, Phyllis Emily was born at the family farm in Palmyra, Michigan. She barely weighed five pounds and her parents soon discovered she was also allergic to milk and feared she may not survive. Being resourceful farmers Floyd and Agnes soon found goat’s milk as a nutrition source for their tiny daughter and Phyllis persevered.

Phyllis was the fifth of six children, Clara, Earl, Donald, Robert and a younger sister Kathryn. Since Phyllis’s father was a farmer, she enjoyed the traditional childhood of a farm life. This was, however, a very difficult time for not only farmers but all americans. The Great Depression made day to day life very difficult. Though her father supplemented his income by hanging wallpaper, painting, and working as a substitute mail carrier, money was still tight, so the Judson family sold produce they raised at road side stands and the farmers market in Blissfield.

Phyllis and her siblings learned to share at a young age which included sharing only one bicycle, which Phyllis learned to ride in the latter part of elementary school. She also shared a bedroom with her younger sister Kate and hand-me-downs were a given. Phyllis and her sister shared almost everything but she most cherished the friendship they developed over the years. This strong bond was maintained throughout their lives.

As a child Phyllis enjoyed playing in the gravel pit out back, which included swimming during the summer months and skating in the winter. She and her siblings would also skate in the drainage ditches around the farm. Phyllis enjoyed playing ball in the yard, and every so often other farm children would come over to join them. Whenever they played hide-and-go-seek, Phyllis always tucked herself away in the barn, her favorite hiding spot. But because her family lived so far out in the country, most of Phyllis’ socializing was done at school. She attended Lenawee Junction Country School through the eighth grade, walking a half mile each way, before moving on to Adrian High School where she graduated in 1935.

At home, Phyllis’s mother was a very kind and gentle caregiver. Each Wednesday together the family would drive into Blissfield for ice cream and listen to the live bands in the park. Another special family event was the annual trip to Wompler’s Lake for the day. Every week, however, the family drove five miles to the Holloway Country Church for the Sunday service, which always was followed with a big Sunday dinner.

As Phyllis grew older, she began helping out on the farm by picking raspberries that sold for 3-5 cents a quart. She learned how to drive a convertible Model T, the one with the pedals in the middle. This new independence allowed her to take a job at Woolworth’s in the embroidery area stocking the shelves.

At the age of twenty, her brother Bob brought home a young teacher from Blissfield to meet his twin sister. This is how Phyllis met the love of her life, a polite young man named Vaughan Cornish. Phyllis liked him right away and found him quite handsome. As a teacher Vaughan held high morals and respect in the community, other traits that attracted him to Phyllis. After a respectful period of courtship Vaughan asked her parents for their daughters hand in marriage (he asked Phyllis first, of course). Once the couple received the blessing of her family, Phyllis and Vaughan were married on the Judson family farm April 1, 1939. Vaughan surprised Phyllis with a beautiful string of pearls as a wedding gift.

After a honeymoon at Mammoth Caves in Kentucky they returned to Michigan and began married life in an apartment behind the Old Hotel in Blissfield. They made a happy, amiable couple, and only fought once throughout their entire marriage, when Vaughan wanted to buy a boat and Phyllis didn’t think they could afford it.

Since Vaughan was from Lawton and he himself had a family farm, he and Phyllis eventually moved to the Lawton area. Vaughan taught high school in Lawton and continued to farm. Together they had three wonderful sons, Richard, Ron, and Steve. They raised their children in the same tradition that they themselves had been raised.

Phyllis and Vaughan had a great love and respect for each other. They belonged to a pot luck club and the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, but mostly they enjoyed staying at home with their family. Vaughan often volunteered to chaperone the school formals. Phyllis too enjoyed this as she loved to dress up in her “prom gear” and enjoy the evening with her husband.

As a mother Phyllis was always there for her children. Her son Ron remembers when he was a young boy he would have a reoccurring nightmare. Each time he awoke frightened he would find his mother beside him, letting him know that everything was okay and that it was fine to go back to sleep. Though when they were young her sons may have thought she was a little over protective they now realize it was only out of love and concern that she held them close.

Over the years the Cornish family enjoyed a few vacations. They traveled to the Rockies and the Upper Peninsula, but the most memorable trips were of packing the family station wagon for a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Judson in Palmyra. These were wonderful family times shared by all. The children especially remember the cookie jar in the corner cabinet which was always full of homemade sugar cookies.

Vaughan sadly passed away in 1960 and the Cornish family experienced many changes. Their eldest son, Richard, a senior in high school, became a father figure to his younger brothers and a caretaker for his mother. He also had to continue his studies and work on the farm.

This also meant that Phyllis would have to find work outside the home. In 1962 she went to work for Van Buren County as a clerk in the Land Description Office, for the next thirty-two years until her retirement. She earned a reputation as a hard worker and was highly respected by her co-workers.

When Phyllis retired, she found more time to spend with her children and grandchildren. She also spent much of her time pursuing her favorite hobbies, like crocheting and sewing. She made an “afaghan” for each her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed reading the newspaper from cover to cover and following the news on television. Her favorite shows were the oldies like, Lawrence Welk, The Honeymooners, Grand Ole Opry, and the Ed Sullivan Show.

Throughout her years as a mother and grandma, Phyllis earned the reputation as a wonderful cook, especially her baking. She was famous for her cinnamon applesauce flavored jello, custard, cinnamon rolls, and her wonderful pies. Her son Steve recalls having to clean his dinner plate before you could indulge in one of these treats.

Phyllis will be remembered by her family as a private person who was warm and loving. She could however be very strict and firm, always demanding respect. She was very strong-willed and even in the darkest times of her life, she always handled herself with dignity and grace. Phyllis taught her children to be respectful and responsible adults and to live according to the motto, “Be true to your word and always do what is right.”

Phyllis died on February 15, 2005 at Lakeview Hospital in Paw Paw. Learn more about Phyllis, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends Thursday from 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 PM at the Betzler & Thompson Life Story Funeral Homes, M-40 South of I-94 Paw Paw, 657-3870. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Friday 11:00 AM at the Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church in Lawton, Pastors Tim Gunderson and Ron Brooks Officiating. Interment Oak Grove Cemetery in Lawton. Following the burial, food and fellowship will be shared at the church. Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, Vaughan Cornish; two brothers: Donald Judson and Earl Judson; and two sisters: Clara Harding and Kathryn Isley. Surviving are her children: Richard (Bernita) Cornish of Muskegon, Ronald (Becky) Cornish and Steven (Vicki) Cornish of Lawton; nine grandchildren: Cheryl, Brian, Kristin, Stephanie, Nicole, Michelle, Stuart, Mark and Erik; four great-grandchildren: Zachary, Caitlin, Alexis and Devin; a twin brother, Robert Judson of Sarasota, FL and several nieces and nephews. To archive a memory of Phyllis, order flowers, or make a memorial contribution to Vaughan and Phyllis Cornish Athletic and Scholastic Memorial Scholarship, please visit her personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com.