Willie Beatrice Mason Cornelius

1928 - 2020

Willie Beatrice Mason Cornelius

Ridgeland - Willie Beatrice Mason Cornelius, 91, departed this life on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Chateau Ridgeland Retirement Home in Ridgeland, Mississippi. The second of 11 children, Willie B, as she was affectionately known, was born on July 15, 1928, to Obie Brown and Lofton Mason. She was preceded in death by her parents and four siblings—Ruby Lee Garner, Lofton Mason Jr., Robert Lee Mason, and Mary Fair-Johnson; and her husband of 56 years, Clifton Cornelius.

Willie B attended Orange Hill Elementary School in Bolton, Mississippi, and Lanier Junior-Senior High School in Jackson, Mississippi. For 32 years, she was a dedicated bus driver for the Hinds County School District.

Those left to cherish her memory include: son, Clifton Cornelius, Jr. of Las Vegas, NV; daughter, Annie Ruth (Marshall) Jones of Scotia, NY; three brothers, James Allen Mason of Los Angeles, CA, Grafton Mason of Moreno Valley, CA, and Walter (Joyce) Mason of Los Angeles, CA; three sisters, Genetha Thompson of Rialto, CA, Lois Dixon of Los Angeles, CA, and Katie Lee LeGardye of Inglewood, CA; one uncle, Selma Johnson of Bolton, MS; five grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; a special niece, Ruby Jean Lee of Jackson, MS; other family and friends.

Viewing will be Friday, April 24 at Lakeover Memorial Funeral Home, 1525 Beasley Road, Jackson, MS, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., followed by a graveside service on Saturday, April 25, 2020, at Orange Hill MB Church, Bolton, MS.