Richard James Cornell Jr.

Richard James Cornell Jr., 62, of Monroe died peacefully Monday, July 31, 2017, at his home with his wife by his side, holding his hand. Friends may come to celebrate Rick’s life on Friday, August 4, 2017 at his Memorial Visitation from 2-7pm at the Bacarella Funeral Home, 1201 South Telegraph Road, Monroe, MI 48161, his Memorial Service will follow at 7pm.. Born August 30, 1954, in Monroe, Michigan, Rick was the oldest son of the late Richard and Phyllis (Hyden) Cornell. He was big brother and often father figure to his younger siblings: Randy Cornell (Anita Akers), Kathy (Larry) Willets, Mark Cornell (Angie Walters), Tim (Sheila) Cornell, Jeff (Phyllis) Cornell, Brian (Tammy) Cornell, Jason (Susan) Cornell and brother by choice Don Herkimer. He was a wonderful husband to his wife, Marcie (Meeker) Cornell; an amazing dad to his three children, Billie (Anthony) Molina, Andrea (Jeff) Boyd, and Matt (Lauren) Cornell; the best companion to his fur baby Miley; and the greatest Papa ever to his grandbabies, Hannah and Hudson Boyd and Brooklyn Cornell. He was a great uncle and a devoted friend to so many. A 1972 graduate of Ida High School, Rick was an avid lover of cars, which began with demolition derby cars where he won many heats and titles. His love continued with classic hot rods. He was always a Chevy lover (especially the Camaro) and loved to harass his Ford and Mopar loving friends. His interest in cars extended to a passion for racing, which quickly transitioned to a business of sorts once he began collecting win slips. He soon became the man to beat! He held the title of Track Champion at Milan Dragway several years. His race winning resume` includes: Super Chevy Indianapolis and Norwalk (taking first & second), Summit Motorsports Ten Grand National, Milan 5K, Norwalk Halloween Classic and the 40th Anniversary Halloween Classic Grand Champion run off, beating the past 40 years’ worth of some of the best bracket racers ever. His proudest racing moment was as Crew Chief for his son Matt as he won the World Super Pro 50K Challenge, beating the best racers in the country. Besides the big race wins, Rick took home the cash at many weekend bracket races all over the Midwest. Rick was one of the founders/members of Michigan Muscle Cars of Monroe and participated in many car related fundraisers for non-profit organizations. He met his wife in June 1993 and the love story began immediately. While they were opposite in many ways, they balanced each other out creating the kind of love most people only get to read about in fairy tales. He was always the voice of reason, the peacemaker and the safety guy. You could never leave his presence without hearing the words “Be Careful”. He always worried about everyone else, even in his final days. Rick never met a stranger. He was nice to everyone and most people who met him quickly became his friend. Even in his time of illness, he never forgot to thank the nurses, praise the doctors and even apologized for other patients who were not so nice to the hospital staff. He felt so fortunate to have such great care from all the nurses at Wyandotte Henry Ford Hospital and his doctors (who also became friends) Dr. Ramaswami and Dr. Roosen along with Dr. Gamalski and Dr. Shah. He was preceded in death by his parents, his racing partner Don Wright, grandson Caden Boyd and sister-in-law Cindy Cornell. His final race has ended and while the world certainly lost a champion, he is sitting in the winner’s circle with all those he loved who went before him! In lieu of flowers, because of their continued love and support, the family requests donations be made to Lenawee Humane Society 705 West Beecher Street, Adrian, MI 49221 Online condolences, and special memories, may be shared with the family by visiting the funeral home Facebook page or the obituary page at www.bacarellafuneralhome.com.

Richard James Cornell Jr.

August 30, 1954 - July 31, 2017