Lynda Hester

On April 7, 2024, Lynda Cornelius with husband, Paul, by her side took flight with her new angel wings.

With the calm grace and steely determination of a true West Texas lady, Lynda chose to squarely face her medical journey in her fight against pancreatic cancer. Lynda stood resilient and accepted every challenge that came her way.

Growing up on a ranch in West Texas, she dreamed of a larger and magical world discovered through school and bookstand magazines of the 1950s and 1960s.

As the valedictorian of Rankin High School in Rankin, Texas, and then a graduate from Business School in Austin, Texas, she began her professional life in the English department at the University of Texas.

Other rewarding work took her to Spokane, Washington, Lubbock, Texas. Goldsboro, North Carolina and Fairfax, Virginia.

Lynda married Maj. Samuel B. Cornelius of Spearman, Texas, and together welcomed their two children, Leslie and Doug.

She found her calling of service and family as they crisscrossed the U.S. with the Air Force. In 1973, Maj. Cornelius was shot down and listed as Missing in Action (MIA). Six years later, his status was changed to Killed in Action (KIA), leaving her as a young widow with their two children.

In 1982, she married Maj. Paul and the two of them would spend the next 25 years holding hands as a strong Air Force leadership team. As a commander’s wife eight times for over 14 years, Lynda drew on her personal experience of loss and solid common sense to expertly support and guide young military families living overseas.

She proudly represented our nation, demonstrated our culture, and embraced the common threads of our families while engaging with the most senior civilian and military officials in Vienna, Austria, Japan (Okinawa, Misawa, Yokota), Air Force Special Operations in Florida; and the final military tour in Hawaii, focusing on all the nations of Asia.

She excelled in welcoming people of all ranks and all nations to her home with Texas charm, elegance and grace. An evening spent with Lynda — also known as Lynda- san — created a treasure trove of special memories to revisit and savor long afterwards.

The last 16 years were spent “at Home” enjoying the Texas Stars and new, close friends in Cordillera Ranch.

Lynda’s love for the U.S. Air Force paled in comparison to her love for her children and five grandchildren. “Skoshi or Nda,” as she was known by them, was euphoric with excitement to show pictures, share stories of the “what and where” of their lives and the magnificent young adults they are becoming.

Proud love only touches the surface of her emotion and always produced the most beautiful smile ... oh, that smile!

Lynda became enamored with the Wabi Sabi (finding Beauty in Imperfection) philosophy learned while in Japan. She thoroughly embraced this idea and found ways to utilize nature to add rustic elegance to make her home and life richer. She was drawn outside to nature by moving rocks, building cactus gardens and solidifying the connection to her spiritual world that God divinely created.

She also loved week-long Harley trips with Paul, allowing her to breathe in and experience the beauty of America. In true fashion, she did this with her own unique Harley flair.

Lynda discovered golf at age 50. This led to both new passion and frustration plus stronger relationships with her husband and friends. Following a round at Tama Hills in the shadow of Mt. Fuji, she would constantly ask “Can we play another 18?” Deep connections with the Gator Girls in Fort Walton Beach and the Friendly Friday Group of Cordillera over special rounds produced many 19th hole patio memories.

Family who greatly treasures her life includes: her husband, retired Gen. Paul V. ; daughters, Leslie Cornelius Carlone (Peter) and Shelby Padilla (John); son, Douglas Michael Cornelius; the next generation grandchildren, Domenico Padilla, Ryden Cornelius, Bella Padilla, and twins, Olivia and Samuel Carlone; her extraordinarily supportive brother and his wife, Joe and Eileen Kilchrist; her only niece and family, Megan Kilchrist Sobolevsky (Dr. Michael) and children Joseph and May; and exceptional friends through both marriages, Brian and Diana Ratzlaff.

She joins the angel flight with others who earned their wings earlier: Joseph and Anna Kilchrist (father & his wife), Preston Patton (stepfather), and Maj. Samuel Blackmar Cornelius (husband).

A Celebration of Life, open to all, will be held at 10 a.m. on May 18, 2024, in The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch Club House, Boerne, Texas. Interment at Arlington National Cemetery is planned later.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of her interests: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: PanCan.org; the Cibolo Center for Conservation; https://cibolo.org; or The First Tee: https://firstteesanantonio.org.