- Date Of Birth: December 9, 1938
- Date Of Death: October 10, 2015
- State: Michigan
Jay Deneane Jay passed away Saturday, October 10, 2015 at the age of 76. He was born December 9, 1938 in Oxnard, CA to the late Jack and Addie (Cress) Cornell.
Jay was united in marriage to JoAnn Brooks on September 2, 1961.
Jay enjoyed a wonderful childhood, living all over the world courtesy of the US Air Force. There is no doubt that his father’s career as a pilot sparked Jay’s love of all things with wings. In 1956 he enrolled at Parks College of Aeronautical Technology, where he earned a degree in Aeronautical Maintenance Engineering in the fall of 1959. Upon moving to St. Louis to take his first job as a Technical Writer at McDonnell-Douglas, he attended a Student Carnival at Webster College,where he met his future wife, JoAnn Brooks, dressed as a large pink rabbit and pushing a janitor’s broom. They married on September 2, 1961. Together they raised six children, instilling in them a love of learning, and a firm belief in the future of humanity envisioned in the Star Trek universe.
Jay was a steely-eyed missile man. From the Saturn V to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, his 50-year career in aerospace was dedicated to helping humanity slip the surly bonds of Earth. He eschewed the title of a rocket scientist, insisting acerbically that rocket scientists merely conceptualized, while engineers actually made things happen. After working for NASA, General Electric, Litton Industries, and Control Data Corporation, Jay spent the last 32 years of his career with National Water Lift (now the Hydraulic Systems Division of the Parker Aerospace Group), in Kalamazoo. Jay’s family takes comfort in the knowledge that he is now enjoying his chance to boldly go where no man has gone before.
Jay is survived by his wife, JoAnn Cornell; children, Christine (James) Porter and their children, Michael, Ryan and Hope Porter; Stephanie (Scott) Keeler; Scott (Eva) Cornell and their children, Jay, Kira, Rebekka and Susanna Cornell; Katherine (Michael) White and their children, Justin and Erin White; Mark (Jennifer) Cornell and their children, Jack and Carson Cornell; and Jacquelyn Cornell; siblings, Mary Ellen Lane and Jacqueline (Michael) Agri; and several nieces and nephews.
He was also preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Michael Lane. No visitation is scheduled. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
