Gary M. Cornelssen, age 82, was born June 8, 1942, in Holton, KS, and passed away on November 10, 2024, after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Mabel Sawhill Cornelssen and Carl Cornelssen, and siblings, Bonnie Anderson, Carol Cozad and infant brother Charles.  After completing high school in Holton, he attended Washburn University while working for General Dynamics on the Atlas missile base program.  In 1968, his job with a logistics and government services company supporting the American military mission in Vietnam took him to that country where he worked for four years developing and maintaining military facilities.  One project he was most proud of was the conversion of a U.S. military base into a village with factories, shops and residences for disabled Vietnamese veterans and their families; a Vietnamese labor medal was awarded to him in recognition of his efforts.

Upon his return to the U.S., he attended the University of Kansas, working toward a degree in business administration.  In 1973, he and Judy Robinson were married and settled in San Diego, CA, for a few years.  Soon, though, they were off to another overseas job, this time in Saudi Arabia, where they spent nearly four years.  He was part of a construction management team working under a very complex contract; he always maintained a calm demeanor and was commended for his professionalism.  While the job was often extremely difficult, there were great opportunities for travel, and he and Judy enjoyed visiting many countries, frequently in the company of new "work" friends who subsequently became lifelong friends.

In the mid-1980s, after studying at the University of California, San Diego, Gary earned an advanced certificate in real estate.  He obtained a broker's real estate license, and he and Judy incorporated a commercial real estate brokerage business that thrived for the next 35 years.  Gary became very active in a national commercial real estate organization now known as the CCIM Institute.  Its primary focus is education, something so important to Gary.  Once he completed the course work and earned the CCIM designation, he served on the Board of the San Diego CCIM chapter for many years and was its president in 2000-2001.  During his tenure, local chapter membership and the availability of CCIM educational courses locally were increased to the degree that the San Diego chapter was awarded the designation of CCIM'S Best Chapter in the World in 2001.

Gary was an avid reader and loved to travel.  Playing golf was a favorite activity, until, as he put it, he could no longer see where the ball went when he hit it.   For nearly 20 years, he served on the Board of the condominium association where he lived, giving countless hours of his time, not only to a major renovation of the entire complex, but to the ordinary day-to-day concerns of all those in the community.  Friends, family and clients all knew him as kind, patient, caring, generous and thoughtful.  A long-time subscriber and reader of the Holton Recorder, he had always hoped to eventually return to his Kansas roots.  He is survived by his wife, Judy; his brother, Ernie Cornelssen; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.  His remains will be buried in the Holton Cemetery in a private service.  A celebration of life will be held at 11 A.M. Friday, May 23, 2025 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton.  For anyone who wishes to honor his memory, gifts in memoriam may be sent to Sharp Hospice Care, San Diego, www.sharp.com/services/hospice.