Henry Corneillie Sr.

Henry J. Corneillie Sr. age 78 of Grafton, ND died Friday, November 7, 2008 at the Unity Medical Center of Grafton. Henry J. Corneillie Sr. was born February 27, 1930 in Joliette, ND the son of the late Gaston and Helen (Depreiter) Corneillie Sr. He grew up and attended rural school there. Following his education he worked on the family farm. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1953 during the Korean War. He spent two years as a staff driver for a 2 star general. Following his discharge he returned home to find his father had sold the farm, so he started working for area farmers. Henry was united in marriage to Doris Lorenzen on February 10, 1962 in St. Thomas. The couple lived in St. Thomas where Henry worked for Ray Littlejohn, Lon Stenerson, Ed Lysengen, Adolph Aaland, and the Gilleshammer Farms. In 1976 the couple moved to Forest River, ND where Henry worked for the Dick Clark Farms. In 1980 they moved to Hoople and he worked for the John Donnelly Farms. When they quit farming the couple moved to Grafton and Henry worked as a carpenter at the Grafton Developmental Center. Henry still had a calling for farming, so Bill Kingsbury offered Henry a job and he spent the next 26 years working for Kingsbury Farms. During the winter months, Henry would go to Florida to help his son plant potatoes' for Tri-Campbell Farms. Henry was working this spring until he started getting ill. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in September. Farming was his life's passion

Henry is survived by his wife Doris, Grafton, ND; their children: Jim (Vicki) Corneillie, Fort Myers, FL; John (Susie) Corneillie, Grafton, ND; Jennifer (Kim) Hooey, Grafton, ND; Henry "Punky" (Sonia) Corneillie, Orlando, FL; grandchildren: Wyatt, Derek and Taylor; brother Oscar, Minnesota and sister Valentine "Teno" Pellitier, Pembina, ND. He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Brenda on Jan. 19, 1986, six infant siblings, and brothers: Alphonse and Gaston Jr. and Sister Julia.