Cornelia Hart

Cornelia Hart had two late in life goals: To conclude her journey in her beloved home along East Bay, and to live to be one hundred. She achieved the first goal and made it ninety-eight percent of the way to the second before passing on January 7, 2023. Cornelia was always a high achiever. Cornelia was born December 30, 1924, in Chicago to Wilbur and Florie Haynie. She was the third of four children, with older siblings Lois and Mary, and younger brother David. Her family was central to her life and supported her intellectual curiosity. Cornelia loved botany, geology, and was an early spelling bee champion in the Chicago Area. She remained close to her siblings and their spouses through the end of their lives. Always academically inclined and usually the smartest person in any room, Cornelia excelled in college, attending the University of Illinois. Cornelia married Walter Martens in 1948. The couple’s only child, Steven Martens, was born in 1956 in Cadillac, Michigan. Moving to several locations to support Walt’s career, Cornelia found the family’s home along East Shore Road at the base of Old Mission Peninsula in 1968 and declared that her relocating days were over. Cornelia’s first marriage ended in 1972, but she found love again with Frank Hart, marrying in 1978. Frank was a wise man, agreeing that the East Shore residence would remain their home, and Cornelia returned the commitment by caregiving for Frank through his battle with dementia that ended in 1992. Cornelia was nearly sixty-eight years old when Frank passed away; she saturated her remaining three decades with joy and life enhancing activities. She was a walker, known to all who lived along or traveled East Shore Road as she wore a backwards baseball cap and hiked with one of two successive black labs that she had for more than twenty-four years. She was an early proponent of the preservation of land now known as Pelizzari Natural Area and wore out many pairs of shoes hiking thousands of miles on that parkland, affirming Cornelia’s great love of nature. Cornelia returned to spelling bee competitions and won championships on the senior circuit. She was a rockhound and a scrabble shark. She wrote beautiful poetry and created silly puzzler questions. She spent countless hours in deep solitary concentration producing intricate origami. She was a voracious reader. She loved folk dance, attended dance camps, and taught many friends through her attention to detail. She frequented the senior center for various activities and had a gym membership where she trained and was featured on television lifting weights well into her nineties. Her home contained mountains of books and rocks and anything else that should or shouldn’t be collected. She was a prankster until she’d circled the sun ninety-seven times, playing hide and seek and frightening caregivers with stunts that caused outrage before laughter. Cornelia led a life rich in interests both intellectual and playful. She loved staying active, enjoyed many friendships, but also relished her time alone at her East Bay home. Besides the deaths of husband Frank, her siblings and their spouses, daughter-in-law Tracey passed in 2015 and son Steve passed away in 2021. Cornelia is survived by nephews Richard Hessler, Paul (Julia) Haynie, Tim (Patti) Haynie, and Peter (Susan) Haynie, as well as many grandnieces and grandnephews. Cornelia was a beloved friend and neighbor, with many contributing to her adventures and comfort through the years. This list is by no means exhaustive, but notable caregivers and companions are Laura Osborne, Richard Fidler, Kara Koeplin, Mary VanValin, Carolyn Dembowski, Chris Convissor, and Edna Wysocki. Sue Peters and Dave Murphy were next door neighbors; Cornelia adopted them and they adopted Cornelia as family. Sue and Dave were honored to be with Cornelia to the end. Memorial donations may be made to the Cherryland Humane Society and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy in support of the park Cornelia helped champion via their Pelizzari Natural Area expansion project.

Cornelia Hart

December 30, 1924 - January 7, 2023