Donald Cline Cornett, Sr. April 2, 1947 - March 18, 2025
Obituary for Donald Cline Cornett, Sr.
Donald Cline Cornett, Sr., 77, of Valrico, FL, died peacefully at his home on March 18, 2025, surrounded by the love and support of his family, as well as close friends, during his final days. Born in Tampa, raised in Brandon, Donald was the youngest of three children and affectionately known as the “baby” to William and Dorothy Cornett, whom he characterized as the most wonderful and loving parents and grandparents. Donald’s love of the great outdoors began early in childhood, learning to hunt and fish from his greatest teacher, his father Bill. He grew up riding horseback on either Sandy, Bonnie, or Blaze into town “when Highway 60 was nothing more than a dirt road.” In junior high school, he studied agriculture under the tutelage of teacher turned lifelong friend, Douglas Holmberg, who encouraged him to join the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and went on to show prize winning livestock at both the Hillsborough County and Florida State Fairs. Donald was a proud graduate of Brandon High School Class of 1965 and remained active in alumni gatherings throughout the years. He continued his FFA membership throughout high school serving in various leadership roles including Chapter President his senior year. He was a member of the BHS marching band and sat as first chair trumpet and also played the coronet. His musicality afforded him opportunities to play with the Tampa Philharmonic and at the University of Florida under the leadership of band director Richard Bowles. Following high school, Donald matriculated into Polk State College where he studied for 2 years before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion. Sgt. Cornett proudly served his country for 5 ½ years as a combat cook, feeding upwards of 22,000 service members per day at Camp Pendleton, a staging area for soldiers deploying to Vietnam. Donald was a true patriot and a proud Marine, who in his later years rarely left the house without wearing a USMC hat. When thanked by someone for his service, he would smile and reply, “I’d do it again in a heartbeat!” Following his honorable discharge from military service, Donald embarked on a 53 year sales career in the commercial tire industry with Bridgestone/Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. His secret to success was “people buy from people” and he attributed much of his success to his mentor, Dean Akers. He loved taking care of his customers and was even known to take calls while hunting from his tree stand in North Florida or vacationing on the beaches of Anna Maria Island to ensure their needs were met. Donald was an avid hunter of deer, hog, turkey, and upland game. He was the founding member and President of Barefoot Hunt Club located in North Florida for 20 years. His years behind the scope and bow were fruitful and yielded quite a few mounted “critters” that adorn the flagstone wall of his family room. Of those, he was most proud of his 850 pound elk, Elmer, harvested near the Grand Tetons in Idaho during the Fall of 2020. (Nice miss, Freddy!) Over the years, a successful weekend at hunt camp was less about stocking his freezer to feed his family and more about watching youth members garner their first deer or turkey. His love for children could also be seen while hosting “Hooked on Fishing Not Drugs,” an annual youth charity fishing tournament sponsored by himself, his wife Judith (Judy), and the Brandon Elks for 17 years. When not bass fishing on the lakes of Valrico and Dover, Donald could be found spearfishing off both coasts of Florida, lobstering in the Florida Keys, spincasting on the flats of Tampa Bay for trout and reds, hooking halibut and slamming salmon in Alaska or slaying walleye and northern pike as far as Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. Donald was a loyal member of several service organizations, including the Brandon Elks Lodge 2383, the Fraternal Order of the Eagles and the Brandon Moose Lodge. Find a club with an animal as its mascot and he was a member! He was also a 32nd degree Master Mason and member of the Scottish Rite which fostered the salient characteristic by which he chose to be remembered: a self-reliant, independent man. Donald was preceded in death by his parents, William and Dorothy, his son, Donald Cline, Jr. and brother William Ronald Cornett. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Judy, his daughter Carla Cornett, granddaughter Hailee Cornett (Andrew Sokolowski), bonus sons Eric Jensen (Amy) and Nathan Jensen (Candi), sister Donna Cornett Smith as well as several nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many dear friends. Donald’s family will receive visitors on Friday, March 21, 2025, from 4:00 until 6:00 P.M. at Southern Funeral Care, 10510 Riverview Drive, Riverview, FL. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the funeral home, with Pastor Marc Mashburn officiating. Interment alongside his son and parents, to include full military honors, will follow at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, Brandon, FL. Serving as pallbearers are his nephews Ronald and Kevin Smith, cousin Lee Cornett and friends Jack Blanton, Richard Cheek and Fred Wyly. Honorary pallbearers include Adrien Albritton, Douglas Holmberg, Bill Hunziker, Richard Salay, Andrew Sokolowski and Buddy Walters. A Celebration of Life reception will follow at the Brandon Elks Lodge, 800 Centennial Lodge Drive, Brandon, FL, and will include the Elks Memorial Service at 1:00 P.M. All are welcome to attend. Flowers or a donation in Donald’s memory to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org) are graciously accepted. Lastly, the family would like to offer a special thank you to the TGH Cancer Institute, specifically Dr. Timothy Nywening, Lorena Newsome, RN, BSN, and the entire surgical oncology team for their unwavering support, friendship, and compassionate care given throughout Donald’s hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.
Visitation
Friday March, 21
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Southern Funeral Care and Cremation Services, Inc.
10510 Riverview Drive
Riverview, FL 33578
Service
Saturday March, 22
10:00 AM
Southern Funeral Care and Cremation Services, Inc.
10510 Riverview Drive
Riverview, FL 33578
Memorial Service
Saturday March, 22
1:00 PM
Brandon Elks Lodge #2383
800 Centennial Lodge Drive
Brandon, FL 33510
Reception to follow.
Cemetery Details
Location
Hillsboro Memorial Gardens
2323 West Brandon Blvd.
Brandon, FL 33511
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Ana Lucia Morini, age 78, of Riverview Florida passed away on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Lucia was born in Itagui, Medellin, Colombia on September 23, 1946, the daughter of Antonio Jaramillo and Margarita Ramirez. She worked many years in manufacturing assembly line and packaging in Colombia and at the BigY supermarket in CT as a bagger. Lucia was preceded by her loving husband, Bruno Morini. She is survived by daughter, Beatriz E. Webb of Riverview, FL; brothers, Julio Jaramillo and Juan Jaramillo; sisters, Cecilia Gonzalez, Gloria Jaramillo, Julia Jaramillo and Irene Hidalgo; and many nieces and nephews. Friends and family are invited to attend a time of visitation on Saturday morning April 26, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Southern Funeral Care, 10510 Riverview Drive, Riverview, Florida. A Celebration of life Service will follow at 1:00 PM. Visitation Saturday April, 26 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Southern Funeral Care and Cremation Services, Inc. 10510 Riverview Drive Riverview, FL 33578 Celebration of Life Service Saturday April, 26 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Southern Funeral Care and Cremation Services, Inc. 10510 Riverview Drive Riverview, FL 33578
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