Theodore J. 'TJ' Cornelsen, 94

On March 26, 2021 Theodore J. “TJ” Cornelsen, 94, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, passed away peacefully. TJ was born in Isabella, Okla., on Jan. 30, 1927, to Bertha Seibel and Ted Cornelsen. They had three children: Lavada, TJ and Verlin.

He excelled in academics and earned two letters for baseball from Lacy High School in Hennessey, Okla., 1945. Three days before his 18th birthday he enlisted in the United States Navy. After his honorable discharge, he attended Oklahoma State College in 1947, graduating as an aircraft technician. He continued his studies and graduated again from Oklahoma State College as a diesel technician in 1952.

TJ married Ruth McDonald after his discharge from the military. Together they had four children: Teresa, Marsha, Michael and Debra. He had several jobs. One of his favorites was working for Aerojet as a technician and technical advisor, working on the Titan I, II, and III missiles, from 1956 to 1965. The other position he loved was being a school bus driver for the Coeur d’Alene School District.

TJ enjoyed traveling, photography, reading westerns, working on vehicles, gardening, square dancing, and he had a deep love for his dogs. He had four children, 12 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and even a few great-great-grandchildren.

He is survived by his sister, Verlin, in Sacramento, Calif.; daughter, Debra Ricks in Sacramento; son, Michael Cornelsen in Coeur d’Alene; all of his grandchildren and his loving dog, Penny.