A much-loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, Edward Cornell passed away peacefully this week.

Edward was born in 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio to Helen and Frank Cornell. He graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1962 and went on to receive a BSEE from Ohio State University, where he was inducted into the Engineering Honor Society. In 1972, he earned a Masters and PhD at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Never content to settle down for too long, Edward later lived in Schenectady, NY; Fort Wayne, IN; Long Grove, IL; Newtown, CT; Saratoga, CA; Bellevue, WA; and La Quinta, CA.

Blessed with a natural curiosity about the world, Edward seemed to know at least a little bit about everything. He had an aptitude for devising ways to do almost anything, from working as a general contractor when building his house in Carmel to fixing a grandchild's broken toy. The unrelenting work ethic that would eventually define Edward was evident on his 12th birthday, when he started working as a paperboy—a job he would hold until the day he left for college.

Edward's engineering career began at General Electric in 1972. Over the next 16 years, he rose through the ranks of Research & Development, where he was involved in the development of a patented remote meter reader for the telephone, an alarm system for submarines, and the first MRI machines. He later held executive leadership positions at American National Can, Pitney Bowes, Acuson, and Philips Medical. A lifelong teacher, Edward took great pride in mentoring young people. Since his retirement from the corporate world, he taught GED and Adult Education classes at Martha's Kitchen in Indio, CA.

Edward is survived by his wife of 21 years, Carol Cornell; his son Joseph Cornell and wife Janet Godfrey; son Carl Cornell and wife Jennifer; daughter Pamela Allen and husband Robert from his first marriage to Patricia Theisen; daughter Sarah Halper; son Ross Halper; grandchildren William, Henry, Julia, and Jacob; brother Richard Cornell and wife Theresa; sister Elizabeth Vild and husband Jim; and mother-in-law Annette Glaser. He was preceded in death by his parents Helen and Frank Cornell.

A funeral will be held on Friday July 13 at 10am at Brown-Forward, 17022 Chagrin Blvd, Shaker Hts., OH 44120. The family will receive friends at Brown-Forward on Thursday July 12 from 4:00 – 6:00pm. Donations can be made to Martha's Kitchen at http://www.marthasvillage.org (83-791 Date Avenue, Indio, CA 92201) or Jewish Family Service of Palm Springs at http://www.jfsdesert.org/ (801 E Tahquitz Canyon Way #202, Palm Springs, CA 92262).