Dena “Loraine” (Hickenbottom) Cornish was born on August 7, 1926, near Callaway, Nebraska and departed this life on February 12, 2019, in Memphis, Tennessee, after a short hospitalization from a broken hip. She had been living in Memphis since 2010 with her daughter, Cheryl Cornish.
Loraine attended Kearney State College and received her Associate’s Degree. She was a school teacher for many years and cherished that work. Loraine and her husband, A.M. (Maynard) Cornish moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, with a few years spent in Seward, Nebraska, before returning again to Lincoln where she worked at Minnegasco. Loraine retired from employment at Minnegasco (Black Hills Corporation).
A longtime member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, Loraine served as a Sunday School teacher and was active in women’s ministries at the church.
Following the death of her husband, Maynard, Loraine was grateful for her happy years at The Van Dorn Villa in Lincoln, Nebraska where she made many friends and participated actively in community life. Card games, shared meals, outings, and hallway conversations with dear friends gave her great joy. Even after her move to Memphis, she loved hearing news about life at The Villa where she had so many fond memories.
Loraine was preceded in death by her parents Fredrick and Ethel Hickenbottom and her husband Maynard Cornish. Loraine is survived by her sister, Audrey Mayo, her three daughters (Eileen Lindeman, Cheryl Cornish and Mary Siegel), five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and beloved nieces and nephews.
A service will be held in her memory at St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Lincoln, Nebraska at a date yet to be determined.
