J. Shirl Cornwall

J. Shirl Cornwall quietly slipped from this life to the next on March 22, 2014 in hospital near his home in La Canada - Flintridge, Ca. Shirl was b¬¬orn the 6th of 7 children to J. Spencer Cornwall and Mary Alice Haigh on Sept. 18, 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shirl was preceded in death by his dear wife Lenore Neeley Cornwall who passed away in 2002. Shirl's legacy is his family of 9 children, which includes his foster daughter. He is survived by Kevin (Alla), Kent (Sue), Craig (Claudia), Lissy, Cherie Alvord (Kurt), Chris (Janell) David (Katherine), Jon (Shirley), LaVerne (Owen) Eltsosie; 33 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. The family home in La Canada-Flintridge was the mecca of the Cornwall family for holiday and special occasion pool parties, barbeques and homemade ice cream. Shirl grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from East High School. One of his claims to fame was that he always had a soup-ed up car. Shirl caught the tail end of WWII being drafted into the army for 18 months. Following the Army he served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the British Isles in 1949 - 1951. While there he lead a traveling chorus, the Millennial Choir which toured the British Isles. Upon his return Shirl met Lenore at a chorus practice he was leading. Lenore got a ride home with the handsome choir director. They were engaged in 6 weeks and married in 3 months. Eventually, Shirl designed and built a "modern" home on the east bench in Salt Lake to house his growing family. Shirl had a rich musical heritage and throughout his life sang in choirs and quartets including 6 years in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Shirl was constantly involved in dedicated service to the Church, most notably his many years on High Councils and as Ward, Stake and Regional Executive Secretaries. Shirl began his life-long career as an Architect degrees from the University of Utah. After practicing architecture in the inter-mountain area for thirteen years, including several years in private practice, he was offered a position in Pasadena. CA. as Corporate Architect for Beverly Enterprises. Over Christmas break in 1969 he moved his family and eight children to Southern California. Within two years Shirl once again established his own practice - Cornwall Associates in Pasadena. Shirl loved to do architecture and was known to his family by his license plate moniker WGA - World's Greatest Architect. He was active in the firm until he took ill in July 2013. Among the sweetest memories the family has of Shirl is his 13 years caring for his beloved wife Lenore, after she was found to have a non-malignant brain tumor. He would often say, that Lenore's affliction was for him to learn and grow and be refined as Lenore was already perfect. The family is thrilled to picture their parents whole and well and together and sweetly holding hands once again. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, March 29 at 3 p.m. preceded by a viewing at 2 p.m. at the LDS Church, 1830 Foothill Blvd., La Canada, CA. A memorial service in Utah is planned for Friday, April 4, 2014 at 2 p.m. preceded by a viewing at 12:45 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park chapel at 3401 S Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106. Grave dedication will immediately follow In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the LDS Church General Missionary or Perpetual Education Funds (ldsphilanthropies.org)