Randy ‘Pop’ Cornelius

Published 11:21 am Friday, December 15, 2023

Randy “Pop” Cornelius, 78, a resident of Andalusia, and formerly of Luverne, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, at Andalusia Health.

A celebration of Randy’s life will be held Sunday, Dec. 17, 3 p.m., at Luverne Church of Christ with Chap. Josh Kiser officiating and Bro. Stae Sanders delivering the eulogy.

Randy proudly served his country with the United States Navy right after high school. He enjoyed his time in the service, especially when he was stationed in Hawaii. After he was honorably discharged, Randy returned home and went to school to earn his barber’s license. He spent the rest of his working career cutting hair, primarily in Luverne and then opened his own business in Andalusia. He had a gift for gab, which served him extremely well in his chosen occupation. Randy was one of the few who could honestly say that he woke up every day looking forward to his day at work. He took great care of his customers and had a loyal contingent for decades. He loved spending his day discussing the “news” (because, you know, men do not gossip!) with his clients and left them feeling better when they walked out to carry on with their day. Randy knew how fortunate he was to love what he did for a living and that meant so much to him throughout his life.

In his free time, Randy was an avid outdoorsman. He loved any activity that kept him out in the beauty of nature, whether it was fishing or hunting. He could use either a gun or a bow when he was hunting, and you had better be a dedicated hunter if you were going to go with him. Hunting was serious business for Randy, to the point that you better get out of the area if you wanted to eat something, and don’t come back smelling like whatever you ate! However, there was nothing he loved more than his family. He was a dedicated son as he took such tender care of his mother in her last years, and he was a truly devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He adored his children, but the best thing they ever did was make him “Pop” to a bevy of grandchildren. Those grandchildren thrived under his love and generous heart, and cherished every moment they were able to spend together. Words cannot describe how much he will be missed by all those who knew and loved him, but they will find comfort in the lifetime of memories they made over the years.

Randy was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Kaitlyn Cornelius; stepdaughter, B.J. Lanier; parents, Grady Christopher and Ruby Dean Hayes Cornelius; and sister, Karen Cornelius Connell.

He is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Sharon Mitchell Cornelius; children, Ty (Ellen) Cornelius, Todd (Becky) Cornelius, Heather (Stae) Sanders, Buffy Sansom, and Erica (Byron) Thomasson; grandchildren, Gauge Cornelius, Sommer “Sissy” Cornelius, Drew Cornelius, Jon Hayden Sanders, Layken Sanders, Graycie Sansom, Stella Sansom, and Jax Sansom; sister, Tammy Wright; and a host of nieces, nephews, other extended family members, and friends.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.