Roger Merrill Cornelius

After a brief illness, Roger Merrill Cornelius, age 63, passed away on Saturday October 3, 2020. Roger was born in Antigo, WI on April 18, 1957, son of the late Donald and Mary Ann (nee: Murphy) Cornelius.

He graduated from Antigo High School and UW-Platteville with honors. On June 21, 1980, Roger was united in marriage to Mary J. Purrington at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Wabasha, MN. He was employed with SC Johnson Wax for thirty years, before retiring in 2016. He was previously employed with Western Publishing, a job that brought him to Racine. Roger was an active dedicated member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church where he served in many capacities. He loved sports and throughout his life coached youth sports, played on several teams and was an avid fan of Wisconsin sports. Roger will be best remembered for his great love and devotion to his family.

Roger will be dearly missed by his loving wife of forty years, Mary; three children, Megan, Molly and Patrick Cornelius; sisters, Judy (Mike) Quirk, Mary Ellen (Chuck) Below and Paula (Russ) Sorano; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Don Kolz, Barry (Linda) Purrington, Judy Purrington and Bret (Renee) Purrington; nieces, nephews, uncles, other relatives and friends. In addition to his parents, Roger was also preceded in death by his sister, Diane Kolz.

Funeral services will be held at the funeral home on Saturday October 10, 2020, 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Graceland Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the funeral home on Friday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until time of service at 10:30 a.m. Memorials to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church or the Froedtert Hospital Foundation have been suggested.

The family extends a special thank you to the staff at Froedtert Hospital ICU for all of their loving and compassionate care.