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LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS<br />
Cornelius ‘was<br />
everybody’s friend’…<br />
… as well as a Master Farm Homemaker, a dedicated partner and mother,<br />
a businesswoman, and a passionate volunteer<br />
Wanda<br />
Cornelius<br />
Andrew<br />
Wanda Cornelius was known<br />
for sharing smiles — and<br />
often a knowing wink —<br />
throughout Jackson County<br />
as she shared her time and<br />
talents with numerous boards<br />
and committees. She also<br />
volunteered for numerous<br />
organizations and could be seen<br />
at events across the area.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO /<br />
BROOKE TILL<br />
BY KELLY GERLACH<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Her helping hands assisted<br />
dozens of boards, committees,<br />
and organizations across<br />
Jackson County and the state,<br />
sometimes stirring the pot for<br />
change.<br />
Wanda Cornelius was a mainstay in the<br />
Eastern Iowa agriculture community until<br />
her death on June 16, 2021 at 86 in her<br />
rural Andrew home.<br />
She and her husband, Gerald “Jerry”<br />
Cornelius, were farmers, business operators,<br />
community volunteers and civic<br />
participants.<br />
Until their deaths (his in 1995), the couple<br />
lived on the Cornelius Family Heritage<br />
Farm, meaning it has been in the family for<br />
more than 150 years.<br />
Wanda was known to breeze into a room<br />
with a perfectly coordinated ensemble,<br />
coiffured hair, and a smile or wink for<br />
everyone.<br />
Friends and family in the community<br />
praised her friendship, work ethic, and<br />
volunteerism.<br />
‘She cared’ a common theme<br />
Wanda Lea Burmahl was born near<br />
Spragueville Jan. 20, 1935, and graduated<br />
from Maquoketa High School in 1952. She<br />
decided to teach and graduated from Iowa<br />
State Teacher’s College in 1954.<br />
She taught kindergarten in DeWitt for<br />
two years and then in Maquoketa for two<br />
years. She married Jerry June 1, 1958.<br />
Having three children — Nancy, Charles<br />
and Julie — Wanda became active in their<br />
everyday care. This included a large presence<br />
in the Jackson County 4-H program,<br />
according to Ohnward Bancshares Chairman<br />
Al Tubbs.<br />
“Her heart has always been about helping.<br />
Her passion to support youth, especially<br />
through 4-H, shined,” recalled Tubbs,<br />
who knew both Wanda and Jerry.<br />
Wanda served on the Maquoketa State<br />
52 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | SPRING 2024 eifarmer.com
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