ForeverMissed
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His Life

A special brother

June 28, 2019

Chris was the youngest sibling in our family – our “caboose”. When he was very small, he often told us “I’m full of love” – and he truly was. He was adored by his older brothers and sisters. He could have easily been a spoiled brat with so many siblings who adored him. Instead, he grew up to be a very caring, accepting, open minded, totally delightful person. When we talked of how much he meant to us and how special we thought he was, he always wanted to change the subject and often rolled his eyes. We will miss his outlook on life, his vision, creativity, wit and humor. He would have been humbled by this tribute. He certainly left us with an example to follow.

He was a senior web designer for Ondema, Inc. Chris held an M.A. in Radio and Television from San Francisco State University where he was awarded the Stuart M. Hyde Award for Writing in Media. He was a graduate of the Taos Toolbox and Viable Paradise writing workshops and belonged to the Left Coast Writers and Codex professional organizations. He was also a writer and musician. He wrote in a wide variety of genres including science fiction, humor and historical fantasy. He was the producer and co-host of the Unreliable Narrators podcast about genre fiction and pop culture. He and friend, George, started Shohola Press (an independent publishing company). He contributed background material and short fiction to game worlds and also composed music for online shows such as Unreliable Narrators, Terror Troop and the E’ville audio drama. He enjoyed a wide variety of music. One of his favorite musicians was Joan Armatrading (she's singing in the background).  He and friend, Glen, were working on an album at the time of his passing.  

His parents were James A. and Nadine Cornell. He is survived by sisters Linda Shepperd (Laporte, CO), Jackie Stone & husband Mike (Cheyenne, WY), and Annette Lancial & husband Tom (Rock Island, IL); brothers Scott Cornell (Livermore, CO) and Brett Cornell & wife Colleen (Corinth, TX), as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Tim and a sister, Phyllis.


Chris spent most of his adult life in the bay area of California. His ashes were spread at the base of an oak tree overlooking a valley in California.