Obituary for Jose L. Cornejo
Mr. Jose Luciano Cornejo, age 68, of Jefferson City, Mo., passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at the Capital Region Medical Center.
Jose was born on December 11, 1951 in El Salvador, the son of Jose L. and Erlinda (Jovel) Cornejo. He was married on June 4, 1977 in El Salvador to Dina Cornejo who survives at the home.
Jose was born and raised in El Salvador and became passionate about sports at an early age. He loved playing soccer and basketball with his friends and those efforts eventually led to him playing for the professional soccer team in El Salvador. After several years of playing, he later became a manager with the professional team and was a member of the Real Madrid Soccer Club. He will always be “Chepito/Chepepa” to those that played with him and he cherished the relationships he had with his teammates and players.
He and Dina made the move to Southern California to continue his education and attended college at the University of San Francisco in 1975. They lived in California for over 25 years where he delivered lumber to businesses and individuals. Many of those individuals were celebrities, which led to some amazing conversations and stories, so Jose often told people he “delivered lumber to the stars”. In 2013, Jose moved to Jefferson City, Mo., to be closer to his children.
When Jose moved to Missouri, he started work at the Missouri State Capitol and has recently been working at Dix Road Cleaners. He enjoyed living in Jefferson City because he was closer to his grandchildren and found it to be a place filled with love and hospitality.
Jose made it a point to always leave a smile on other’s faces, especially if you were on the receiving end of one of his bear hugs. His love of soccer and music made for some great memories with family. Many weekends were spent cheering on their favorite soccer teams and planning the next classic rock concert they could attend together. He coached both of his children as they grew up playing soccer and basketball. The past few years his greatest joy has been being “Tito” to his grandkids. Together, they enjoyed eating desserts, surprising each other with gifts, and him instilling in them the values he passed down to his children.
Survivors include: his loving wife of 43 years, Dina Cornejo; one daughter, Lynda Cornejo of Jefferson City, Mo; one son, Gerardo Cornejo (wife, Staci) of Wardsville, Mo; one sister, Elizabeth Cornejo of Bellflower, Ca; two brothers, Omar Cornejo (wife, Claudia) of Allentown, Pa. and Luis Cornejo (wife, Silvia) of Guatemala City, Guatemala; and three grandchildren, Irie Cornejo, Jacob Cornejo, and Marlie Cornejo.
Jose was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Miguel Cornejo.
A visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Friday, December 11, 2020 at the Columbarium at Riverview Cemetery. A balloon release with entombment of his cremated remains will be held around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Jose Cornejo Memorial Fund by mailing any donations in his memory to P.O. Box 95, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary.
Jose was born on December 11, 1951 in El Salvador, the son of Jose L. and Erlinda (Jovel) Cornejo. He was married on June 4, 1977 in El Salvador to Dina Cornejo who survives at the home.
Jose was born and raised in El Salvador and became passionate about sports at an early age. He loved playing soccer and basketball with his friends and those efforts eventually led to him playing for the professional soccer team in El Salvador. After several years of playing, he later became a manager with the professional team and was a member of the Real Madrid Soccer Club. He will always be “Chepito/Chepepa” to those that played with him and he cherished the relationships he had with his teammates and players.
He and Dina made the move to Southern California to continue his education and attended college at the University of San Francisco in 1975. They lived in California for over 25 years where he delivered lumber to businesses and individuals. Many of those individuals were celebrities, which led to some amazing conversations and stories, so Jose often told people he “delivered lumber to the stars”. In 2013, Jose moved to Jefferson City, Mo., to be closer to his children.
When Jose moved to Missouri, he started work at the Missouri State Capitol and has recently been working at Dix Road Cleaners. He enjoyed living in Jefferson City because he was closer to his grandchildren and found it to be a place filled with love and hospitality.
Jose made it a point to always leave a smile on other’s faces, especially if you were on the receiving end of one of his bear hugs. His love of soccer and music made for some great memories with family. Many weekends were spent cheering on their favorite soccer teams and planning the next classic rock concert they could attend together. He coached both of his children as they grew up playing soccer and basketball. The past few years his greatest joy has been being “Tito” to his grandkids. Together, they enjoyed eating desserts, surprising each other with gifts, and him instilling in them the values he passed down to his children.
Survivors include: his loving wife of 43 years, Dina Cornejo; one daughter, Lynda Cornejo of Jefferson City, Mo; one son, Gerardo Cornejo (wife, Staci) of Wardsville, Mo; one sister, Elizabeth Cornejo of Bellflower, Ca; two brothers, Omar Cornejo (wife, Claudia) of Allentown, Pa. and Luis Cornejo (wife, Silvia) of Guatemala City, Guatemala; and three grandchildren, Irie Cornejo, Jacob Cornejo, and Marlie Cornejo.
Jose was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Miguel Cornejo.
A visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Friday, December 11, 2020 at the Columbarium at Riverview Cemetery. A balloon release with entombment of his cremated remains will be held around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Jose Cornejo Memorial Fund by mailing any donations in his memory to P.O. Box 95, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary.