Renate A. Cornelius, 88

September 29, 2020

Renate A. Cornelius, 88, of Lancaster, passed away at her residence on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Born in Germersheim, Germany she was the daughter of the late Rudolf M. and Maria (Müller) Steinmetz. She was the loving wife of Raymond D. Cornelius for over 50 years.
She came to the United States when she was 20 years old, unsure of what her future had to hold. She started as a caretaker for family members and from that point she learned that she wanted to create a family with children. She will be remembered as a feisty, go getter that was dedicated to her children and grandchildren. She was also taught Sunday school for years as her faith was important in her life.
She enjoyed knitting and sewing and was sure to pass that on to her daughters. She was also involved with the Lancaster Opera Company and Lancaster Liederkranz. For more than 15 years she worked at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater as the costume shop manager.
Her love will continue on in her husband, daughters; Rebecca Gruver, wife of Matthew, of Lancaster and Rachel Cornelius of Raleigh Durham, NC, grandchildren; Sadie, Ana and Fynn, and cousins; Manfred Zimmerman and Rosemarie Wetzka, both of Germersheim, German and Siegried Müller of Berlin, Germany and Bethel Hofstaetter of Weinheim, Germany.
Funeral services will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Renate’s name may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.