Albert Cornelio

Albert Cornelio

April 4, 1932 – December 7, 2025

Albert Cornelio passed away peacefully at age 93 on December 7, 2025, in Rochester, New York. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Monica; his daughter Asha, her husband Matthew, and their two sons, Anand and Akash; and his son Anand, his wife Dilky, and their son Devan. He is also survived by several siblings from his childhood village outside Mangalore, India, along with their spouses and children who reside in India, the United Arab Emirates, and Los Angeles, California.

Born and raised on a farm as the eldest of ten children, Albert's early life was shaped by hard work, devotion, and faith. A lifelong Catholic, he served as an altar boy at his local church and later worked at Father Mueller's Hospital, where he was chosen as one of two young people to receive a Catholic scholarship to study in Freiburg im Breisgau, a small university city in southwest Germany. During his seven years in Freiburg, he studied medicine while working for the bishop and taking on odd jobs-including helping an elderly Jewish woman with her weekly groceries and cutting the bishop's hair. He formed lasting friendships during this time, and he and his friends continued speaking to one another in German throughout their lives, even though they all spoke English just as well.

In January 1969, Albert and Monica were married in England, where Monica worked as a nurse. Together, they dreamed of building a better life in America, and thanks to the demand for medical professionals, they brought alive their dream in Rochester, New York. Monica continued her career in nursing, while Albert worked as a lab technician-eventually becoming a supervisor-in the Clinical Laboratory at Genesee Hospital.

Albert not only created a better life for his immediate family in Rochester, he did so for his siblings in India too. Through his generosity, several of them were able to pursue higher education and improve the extended family's standard of living on the farm. A firm believer in lifelong learning, Albert took college courses in his 40s to strengthen his English and even learned to play the piano in his 60s.

Music remained one of his great joys. As an original member of The Eastern Melodies singing group, he visited nursing homes to spread happiness through songs from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, playing the harmonica, and sharing a few Mangalorean Catholic melodies as well. He also loved capturing life through photography and film, often seen with a camera or 8-millimeter movie recorder in hand, documenting family activities in Rochester and beyond. Exercise was another passion-he was among the early joggers on the streets of Rochester in the 1970s, a habit he kept well into his own 70s.

In his later years, Albert would often apologize for forgetting things, but even as dementia took hold, one thing never faded: his warm, wonderful smile.

On Monday, December 15, there will be a viewing at 9:00 a.m. at St. Anne's Church reception hall on Mt. Hope Avenue in Rochester, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 am, interment Mt. Hope Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Albert's name to The Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org/.