William H. “Bill” Cornwell, Jr., 64

William H. (Bill) Cornwell, Jr., 64, of Conestoga, was called home to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 14, 2012.  He passed away after a very brief illness at Lancaster General Hospital with his loving family at his side.

Born in Lancaster, PA., he was the son of the late William and Martha Cornwell and the husband of Joyce Henkel Cornwell, with whom  he celebrated their 41^st wedding anniversary in August.  In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children, Christopher Cornwell of Lancaster and Amanda Cornwell, wife of Nitin Jagdish, of Baltimore, MD.   He also had the privilege of being the grandfather to Eamon Jagdish.  Bill was predeceased by an infant brother, David.  He is survived by a sister, Carol Vaseleski and her husband Ronald Vaseleski of Hendersonville, N.C. and a mother-in-law, Loretta Henkel of Lancaster and a sister-in-law, Sr. Joan L. Henkel, of Philadelphia, PA. 

Bill graduated from Hempfield High School in 1965 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University and a Masters of Administration from Pennsylvania State University.  He began his Industrial Engineering career at Armstrong World Industries in the Lancaster Floor Plant, followed by seven years at the Thomasville Furniture Plant in Brookneal, VA.  His career brought him again to Lancaster as an Industrial Engineer in Corlon, where he later became Manager for Plant Industrial Engineering.  This was followed by an assignment as plant manager for the Beech Creek Plant, in Beech Creek, PA.  Again, his achievements brought him to Lancaster as Plant Manager for Corlon.  Still in the Lancaster Plant, he became Vice President for Manufacturing for Installation Products.  Following several other assignments, he became the Vice President of North American solid wood manufacturing operations, until his retirement in 2007, following 38 years of service.  He was the recipient of the Armstrong Chairman’s Award that year for leadership in Armstrong’s tile and solid wood operations.  Following his retirement from Armstrong, Bill worked three years for SAPA, Inc. as a senior industrial engineer working on key projects for improving productivity.   He served in the Army Reserves and was a member of SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business.  He joined the Christian Community of St. John Neumann Catholic Church on March 30, 2002 and was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Bill was an avid boater and water skier and also loved snow skiing, fishing, playing cards and shooting pool, especially because of the friends who shared these experiences with him.  He also enjoyed jogging and he bowled in the Monday night Men’s League at Leisure Lanes.  Bill thoroughly enjoyed working on large house building projects and cultivating his gardens.  He never missed a day of sudoku puzzles.  It was obvious how much his family and friends meant to him, and he had the most wonderful sense of humor.

There will be a time of visitation with the family Wed., April 18 from 6:00 until 7:30 p.m. followed by recitation of the Rosary from 7:30 to 8:00 at the Charles F. Snyder Jr.Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA.  The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thurs. April 19, at 11:00a.m. at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 601 E. Delp Rd., Lancaster, PA.  There will be a time of visitation with the family from l0:00 to 11:00 a.m. prior to the Mass.  

Memorial donations may be made to The Mastocytosis Society, TMS Treasurer, P.O. Box 129, Hastings, NE 68902-0129, or visit their website at:  www.tmsforacure.org. To send an online condolence, please visit: SnyderFuneralHome.com. Charles F. Snyder Jr Funeral Home & Crematory 560-5100