SIOUX CITY -- Richard Forrest Cornish, 70, of Bakersfield, Calif., formerly of Sioux City, died Thursday, May 14, 2009, at Bakersfield Heart Hospital due to complications from an infection called Valley Fever. He fought this infection for more than three months and the last five weeks were his hardest, but he fought it with everything he had but did finally lose his battle at 7:25 a.m. on May 14 with his son, Charley, and his wife, Pam, by his side.
Graveside services will be 1 p.m. Thursday in Memorial Cemetery, Le Mars, Iowa. Visitation will be 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home in Sioux City.
Richard was born Sept. 27, 1938, to Forrest and Lorna (Brown) Cornish. He attended school in the Le Mars, Iowa, area, then later the University of Maryland, then Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City. He served his country in Korea with the U.S. Army.
He was a retired Union Ironworker Local 184 and had been an ironworker for about 28 years. He worked all over the country on buildings, bridges and anything else they needed him to do. He also was a welding instructor at Western Iowa Tech Community College for one year.
He was married to Rita Edleman on May 5, 1961. She passed away June 4, 2002. He later married Pamela Green of Bakersfield on April 12, 2005.
He was a member of Loving Faith Fellowship Church in Sioux City. After moving to Bakersfield, he joined with McKee Road Baptist Church. He loved his family and friends. His brother ironworkers called him Dick Cornish.
He is survived by his wife, Pamela Cornish of Bakersfield; his son, Charley Cornish of Bakersfield; his daughter, Sue Boone of Mendota, Ill.; his brother, Harry Cornish of Sioux City; his sister, Patty Bogner of Jefferson, S.D.; his stepsister, Janet Warner of Sioux City; his stepbrother, Wayne Albert of Sioux City; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren of Fulton, Mo.; a granddaughter in Mendota, Ill.; three stepgrandchildren in Bakersfield; and nieces, nephews and other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Barbara Cornish, on July 9, 1985; his parents; his first wife,. Rita Cornish; and two nephews, Steve DeRaad and Jay Heckt.