Janet A. Cornish

Janet Aline Cornish, (Pearce, Shutt, Welsh) 93, of South Kingstown, peacefully passed away on June 17, 2025, with her daughter, Lisa, by her side. Janet, "Jan," was a 1951 graduate of Springfield High School in Springfield, Illinois. Jan spent the past 4 years residing at South Kingstown Nursing and Rehabilitation in the memory care unit. She was well loved and cared for by the nurses, CNAs, and staff. We are all grateful for their love and care of our mother. Their friendship and humor with her made the best of the situation. We are also thankful for the loving care from Continuum Hospice & Palliative Care.
Jan was preceded in death by her parents, Lora Aline Doubet (Welsh, Paulus) (Willis Doubet), and Francis Eugene Welsh, who died from a work accident when she was 4 years old.
She is also preceded in death by her sisters, Elizabeth (Betty) Tiedeman (Herb), and Edythe (Edie) Renfro (Charles). Between her two sisters, she has 2 nieces and 4 nephews.
In 1953 she married Robert "Bob" Shutt and they shared a son, David Bradley Pearce. Tragically in 1958, Bob was killed in a car accident when David was only 2 years old.
In 1961 she married Ron Pearce. They moved from Illinois to California to establish his car dealership. They added two daughters, Linda Aline Mahan (Mike), and Lisa Ann Schneck (Bob), and of course adopted Jon Pearce (Michele), AKA The Golden Child as he is affectionately known. In 1975 they divorced.
In 1978 Jan married W. Edgar Cornish "Ed." Jan, along with Linda, Lisa, and Jon, moved from sunny Southern California to Rhode Island right in the middle of the record-breaking Blizzard of '78. Jan and Ed enjoyed boating, playing tennis, attending the Barrington Congregational Church, and their friend group. Jan loved Ed's parents and all the extended family, but especially Ed's sister Treva and Dave, her husband. They moved to Cape Cod in 1987. Jan worked at the Sail Loft and the Winstead Elder Day Center, an adult day care facility, in Harwich, MA. Sadly, Ed died suddenly in 1992. Following Ed's death, Jan moved to Bristol to be closer to Lisa, friends, and church. She played tennis, enjoyed her friend group, and was involved with her grandchildren.
In 2010 she started to have mild, noticeable memory issues. She moved to Wakefield, RI, to be even closer to Lisa. She enjoyed an active life with attending the grandchildren's sporting events and Bob's URI Volleyball team games. She became friends with Jim Russell, Bob and Lisa's former neighbor. They shared a special friendship and often "double dated" with Bob and Lisa to URI hockey games, URI basketball games, and plays at the Theater by the Sea. Together, they joined a senior bowling league, took classes at OLLI through URI, and attended the Kingston Congregational Church. We are grateful for Jim's friendship.
Jan was always active in something. In California, in 1964 she served as PTA president. She was the Cookie Chair for Girl Scouts. She was part of Littlest Angels. She was active playing tennis and bridge with her friends. During her time in Bristol, she was a docent for Blithewold Manor. In 1994, she was a volunteer for the Widowed Persons Service. In 2009, she was a Family Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer. She was very active in the Barrington Congregational Church. In Wakefield, in 2016–2018 she was in a senior bowling league and placed 2nd. At her nursing home facility, she was known for giving "lectures" about why you shouldn't use bad language and needed to behave, because God was watching. She loved the guest musicians, playing bingo, and art activities. In her mind, she was at school or work. All that mattered is that she was, for the most part, happy and content.
Jan was blessed with 9 grandchildren: James David "JD" and Bradley (David); Logan, Riley Aline, and Gage (Linda); Ashley (Kane) and Cameron (Gina) (Lisa); Andrew and Daniel (Jon). She "adopted" her son-in-law's family as her own and offered to be Alex, Katie, and Martha's grandmother in the absence of theirs. She was always fond of Mary and Bruce, Bob's sister and brother-in-law. Jan was even privileged to add great-grandchildren: Kayden, Khloe (Ashley and Kane), and Lyla Aline (Riley). Lyla is the 5th generation with the middle name "Aline." She sadly won't get to meet the much-anticipated one arriving in July (Cameron and Gina).
How do you possibly pay adequate tribute to someone who lived a full life of 93 years? Jan was a loving daughter, sister, sister-in-law, cousin, mother, wife, friend, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother. She had a hard life with a lot of losses along the way. She was a model of grace, strength, and resilience. She also was full of sass and fun. Her sense of humor and the shared laughs will be greatly treasured and missed.
Jan was strong in her faith in Jesus. She loved attending church and regularly attended the services at her facility. She loved singing hymns. She always requested her mother's favorite hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross," and enjoyed singing "Jesus Loves Me." Her Bible was often open in her room on a table next to her bed or chair. Many notes and underlined verses throughout the worn-out pages.
We know our mother impacted many people with her sass, humor, and compassion. Please share your stories on the Avery-Storti website. Thank you!
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 12 pm in Avery Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St. Wakefield, RI. Visitation hours will be held from 10:00 am–12:00 pm. In the spirit of celebration, the family invites you to wear the colors that bring you joy.
Jan will return to the Cape to be buried next to Ed at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, MA. Burial will be private.