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Cornell McGee

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed & joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of.

— Excerpt from “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee Jr.

On the morning of Saturday, October 24, 2020, as we awakened to a new day, Cornell Yvonne McGee slipped quietly from the confines of earth into Heaven’s vast expanse. There, her beloved husband greeted her with a twinkle in his eye, and a grin on his face, ready to reacquaint her with those who had made the journey before her.

Excited to inform her of what (and whom) she’d been missing, he fussed, “What were you doing down there, Cornell? Just messing around?’ And then, “What took you so long?”

Cornell entered this world on June 12, 1934, in Wheeling, West Virginia. She was born into a society of segregated schools, segregated movie theaters, and de facto segregated public accommodations … into a place and time of limitation and lack that sought to, but ultimately could not, define her. Cornell attended Lincoln High School, where she was a majorette. She then attended Bluefield State College on scholarships provided by a society women’s club.

Cornell came from a long line of superb cooks, bakers, & homemakers. Her mouth-watering homemade bread, cinnamon nut rolls, jams and jellies made Martha Stewart & Julia Child look like amateurs. As the need arose, she raised & nurtured various children belonging to other family members. She enjoyed reading and being in nature … always the adventurer. She was an avid vegetable gardener, who also loved flowers and birds.

Cornell Yvonne McGee was preceded in death by her husband Fred B. McGee, Sr., the love of her life for 65 years. She was also predeceased by her parents Helen and Edwin Franklin Lewis, Sr., her sister Jonetta Webb and brother Edwin Franklin Lewis, Jr.; sisters-in-law Margaret, Betty, Dorothy, Ruth, and Sylvia McGee; brothers-in-law James, Walter, Claude, Eddie, Ralph, and Pete. She is also predeceased by a very special aunt, Gertrude Thomas. She leaves to cherish her memory her sons, Brian, Fred Jr. (Dana), and James (Kelly); daughters Victoria Frederica and Robin Diane; grandchildren Henry, Brandi (James), Tory (Vince), Kristen (Bailey), Tre (Tiana), Camden (Erika), Shannon, Joslyn, Joy, Riley and Christopher; sisters Jean (Dallas, TX) and Bernadine (Wheeling); brother Herbert Lewis (Dayton); sisters-in-law Paulette Lewis, Wilma McGee, Shirley McGee, and Penie (Eugene) Young; & brother-in-law Spanish McGee, Jr.; She also leaves to mourn her passing her beloved aunt, Ethel Clemont and uncle, John Herbert Clemont; She also leaves behind 11 great-grandchildren and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Open-casket visitation will be held on Friday, October 30, 2020, from 6-8 p.m. at Vinson Mortuary.

The closed-casket homegoing ceremony will be outdoors Saturday, October 31, 2020, at 12:30 p.m. at Le Chateau Pier. Entrusted to Vinson Mortuary, Steubenville.