Jo Ann Cornell

Jo Ann Cornell, age 88, left us to be with her Lord and Savior on December 24, 2008, Christmas Eve, at her home in Weatherford, OK. She will be deeply missed and leaves cherished memories with her family and friends. The daughter of the late William Allen Reeves and Emma Gibson, she was born Oct. 18, 1920, in Purcell, OK. Her great grandfathers, John Chenoweth of Savoy, Texas, and W.A. Gibson, were both surgeons in St. Louis during the Civil War on opposing sides. Mrs. Cornell graduated from McAlester High School. She attended the Christian College for Women in Columbia, MO. She received a B.A. degree in 1942 from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. She majored in English and literature and was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. As a General Reporter she wrote for the Oklahoma City Times in 1943, during the following three years for the Daily Oklahoman, and in 1947 for the New Orleans Times Picayune. From 1948-52 she was a Business Reporter, and from 1952-59 she was Section Editor for Home Furnishings Daily, Fairchild Publications. From 1965-67 she was Copy & Feature Editor for American Metal Market. In the late 70s she was a Sales Representative for Robert L. Harding, Jr. Real Estate - Insurance until retiring in 1992. Mrs. Cornell grew up in McAlester with her dad, a pharmacist, and mother, a musician. She had two older brothers, James A. and E.C. "Bo" Reeves, so grew up as a tomboy determined to explore and find her place in the world. Her hobbies included horseback riding, English and Western, swimming and fishing. Her pets, cats or dogs, were lucky to have her as a friend. She loved horses and became an equestrian instructor, enjoyed barrel racing, and was a rodeo queen. She met a fellow journalist, George W. Cornell, from Weatherford, OK, who proposed to her on Times Square in New York City during the New Year's countdown. On April 1, 1944, they were married. After he returned from serving in the Army during WWII, they moved to New York City. They were dutiful churchgoers and were part of the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church, Gramercy Park, NY. Jo Ann became a mother in 1955, when she gave birth to her daughter, Marion Emma, and in 1960 a son, Harrison Reeves. They bought a house in Port Washington, NY in 1965. She was an AA member and quit drinking and cigarettes. She was very generous with her time and helped many seeking help. Her volunteer work included being a Girl Scout Leader, Troop 408, and Co-editor of Museum Pieces, a monthly newsletter for the North Shore Junior Science Museum, Bryant Preserve, Roslyn, Long Island. She was a member of League of Women Voters, North Shore Southern Society, and FISH, an interfaith community service. She was concerned about the environment and wildlife of the Earth. Her favorite bird was the roadrunner. She was proud to be a native Oklahoman, and in 1992 she retired, building a ranch house on their farm in Weatherford, OK. She loved the weather, and her ranch house on the hill was the place to see it. Her husband died in 1994. In 2000 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and her son became her sole caregiver until her death. Jo Ann Cornell had a love of life, appreciating God's beauty in the world. Her generous love, lessons of life, little notes, will be remembered fondly through those she touched. She was preceded in death by her parents, her two brothers and husband. Survivors include her son Harrison Reeves Cornell, her daughter Marion Emma Cornell, her grandchildren H.R. Cornell, Tahlya Hinds, Tom Bodhi Reeves, and Yoko Miel Silk. In the late spring of 2009, a memorial will be held at the ranch house for family and friends. Contact: Harrison R. Cornell, PO Box 668, Weatherford, OK 73096.