Eloyce Marie Cornett

1924 - 2017

Eloyce Marie Cornett
9/14/1924-2/3/2017

Eloyce Marie Cornett passed away on February 3, 2017 in Auburn at 92 years old. Eloyce was a woman who loved to laugh and made every attempt to live life to the fullest. She was born in Shawnee Oklahoma on September 14, 1924 to parents Lowall (Pete) and Thelma Miller. In 1926 the family moved from Oklahoma to Los Angeles by way of a Ford Model T. The trip took a week and some of the desert portions of the road they traveled on were made of wooden planks. Eloyce's family moved around a lot during the depression as her father worked various jobs including gold mining and for the state highway department that took them to Nevada County in 1932. Eloyce attended the one room school house in North San Juan and her family eventually moved into the bottom floor of the historic victorian that sits a the “Y” at the end of Broad Street in Nevada City. Eloyce graduated from Nevada City High School in 1942. After high school, Eloyce worked as waitress at Floyds diner in Auburn. When World War II broke out, her family moved to Berkeley where Eloyce became a telephone operator. In 1944 she joined the Army (WAC) and was stationed in Ft. Benning Georgia where she earned her wings as a parachute rigger. It was there where she met the love of her life, Marvin Cornett, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division who had just returned from combat in Europe. After a two month courtship, they rode on Marvin's Army surplus Harley motorcycle to Pheonix, Alabama and got married. Marvin made a career out of the Army which sent them to live in France and various states. When Marvin retired from the Army in 1968, they settled in Sacramento, California where Eloyce worked at McClellan AFB doing various jobs. Eloyce and Marvin retired in the late 70s and traveled all over the US in their RV, mostly following the sun to Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Florida. They traveled to many other countries around the world as well. Eloyce was a gifted artist, craft maker, seamstress, golfer, clogger, bowler, guitar player, belly dancer, world traveler and party hostess. She leaves behind her husband Marvin of 71 years and 6 months, two daughters; Marleen Maltby (Billy Sanders) and Janet Mendoza (Alex Mendoza), three grandchildren: Jenny Pettit, Kurt Maltby and Brad McDonald, and four great grandchildren; Carson Pettit and Bryson, Cody and Kali Maltby. Eloyce was one of a kind and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.