Eileen (Kelzer) Corniea

• 

Corniea, Eileen (Kelzer) a kind, loving, beautiful, chill, strong- willed, giving mother, grandmother, sister, and wife died peacefully in her sleep on November 27th, 2021, two days after spending a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving Day with family. Eileen was born at the old St. Francis Hospital on August 18th, 1942 in Shakopee, Minnesota, to Leonard William Kelzer and Alice (Geis) Kelzer. At the time they lived on the family farm in Victoria, Minnesota. Eileen was the third of nine children. Her older sister, Jane, was a lifelong best friend along with her childhood friend Betti Lu Mueller. Both spent a magnificent day with her, along with her niece Tonya, sharing banana bread, the day before she passed. Holidays were sacred events in Eileen's home. Eileen prepared Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner each year for her immediate family and their families. Each year she thoughtfully presented gifts to every member of the family. In addition, the entire Kelzer klan, Alice and Leonard, 9 children, 9 in-laws, and 24 nieces and nephews, spent Thanksgiving and Christmas together every year at the Kelzer family home in Shakopee until Alice passed away in 2009. The extended family has continued to meet every year the week before Christmas, to this day. Eileen was a voracious reader and preferred one-on-one conversation to large groups. Her passion until her later years was singing with the City of Lakes Chorus and Valley Flair Chorus of the Sweet Adelines organization where she met many friends. In 1963, she encountered Jim Corniea during lunch at the Office Bar in downtown Minneapolis where she worked as an accountant for Aetna. After a whirlwind romance they were married in 1964. As a Mother, she did an amazing job, with her hands full, raising three rambunctious boys; Jay, Ty, and Greg. Eileen received many calls over the years from ER doctors with the good news her son was alive, but injured from falling out of a tree, crashing a bike attempting to set a world record jumping garbage cans, or totaling another of her cars. She loved her sons and dedicated her life to raising them to be good and gentle men and she succeeded, for the most part. They loved her dearly and appreciate all she did for them and for her grandchildren. Eileen is survived by her sons and their families: Ty; Greg (wife Marit Swanson) and children Ilia, Uma, and Henrik; and Jay (partner Anna Lindquist) and step-children Ava and Erik. Eileen was preceded in death by husband Jim, daughter Tiffany, her parents Leonard and Alice, and her brothers George and Leonard Jr. She leaves us all with an abundance of treasured memories, stories, and life lessons we can pass on to others, as she did. Family and friends may visit the family from 11:00 a.m. to noon on Monday, December 13, 2021, at the McNearney-Schmidt Funeral Home, 1220 3rd Ave. E., Shakopee, Minnesota. A Memorial Service will begin at noon. Burial will follow on Wednesday, 9:00 a.m., at Fort Snelling Cemetery. "Humor is a prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer." - Reinhold Niebuhr mcnearneyfuneralhome.com

Published on December 12, 2021