Peggy Voris Cornish

Peggy Voris Cornish passed away peacefully at the age of 101, on Dec. 9th, 2020, at the home of her daughter, Pamela Yockey, in Canton, Mich. Peggy was born in Benton Harbor, Mich. on May 22, 1919, to Howard and Saliel Evans. She was the oldest of five children. After high school, she attended and graduated from Bronson Hospital School of Nursing, in Kalamazoo, in 1939. She later worked at Lake View Hospital in Paw Paw as an emergency room nurse, and was later employed by the Van Buren County as a Public Health Nurse until she retired. She was a wartime bride, marrying Ward Russell Cornish, in Lawton Michigan. It was there that she raised her 2 children, and later, a foster child. Her hobbies included motorcycle trips with her husband, gardening, genealogy, finance and investing, golf, card games, and keeping up with family members through the computer and social media. She was the oldest member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, and member of Ocala West Methodist Church in Ocala, Florida, and a long time member of the Lawton Methodist Church. She lived in Lawton, Michigan for 51 years before moving to Ocala, where she resided for 27 years. She was often called “Amazing Miss Peggy in her later years. She had a century of life experiences. She lived independently after her husband died in 1998. She drove her car until she was 100! She was remembered at age 85 on a camping trip in Northern Michigan, paddling a canoe for the first time, and climbing to a lighthouse tower that was 87 winding steps, and she did this twice. She helped with the Hurricane clean up in Louisana painting and scrubbing and was an active member of the Citizen Emergency Rescue Team in Ocala Florida. It was often said that she was the first liberated woman in Lawton, Michigan. Over the past century she lived through pandemics, the Great Depression, several wars, motherhood, and a radically changing world. She loved and nursed countless people and relatives through her journey to independence and contentment with the simple pleasures in life. She often said, “I’ve been there and done that!” She is preceded in death by her husband, Ward, sisters Jean and Shirley, brother Darwin, and infant son, Cary. She is survived by her sister, Gloria, son Ward, daughter, Pamela Yockey, foster child Pat Pfannes, 4 Grandchildren, and 8 Great Grandchildren. Her faith developed throughout her lifetime, growing stronger as she grew older. A Bible verse she often referred to said, ”Give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures.” She said, “Life is an occasion, rise to it. Don’t be sad because I died, be happy because I lived. I had a wonderful life.” Memorial for the immediate family and friends will be at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Battle Creek, in the early summer, where she will put to rest beside her late husband, Ward. “Blessings and bushels of Love.” To share a memory, please use the Share a Memory tab on this web page.

Peggy Voris Cornish

May 22, 1919 - December 9, 2020