Arlett "Cliff" Clifton Cornelius, Jr.

Cliff Cornelius Jr., 76, passed away Friday, August 23, 2024 at Southminster Hospice in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was in the company of his loving family.

Born December 23, 1947 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he was the only son of the late Arlett Clifton Cornelius, Sr. and Lura Belle Wade Cornelius.

Following graduation from Christian County High School in 1965, Cliff furthered his education at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he earned a degree in business administration in 1968.

After college, he started his career as a salesman for Bass and Co. Following much success as a salesman, Cliff was promoted to branch manager in Jackson, Mississippi.  In 1983, he accepted the branch manager position for Dyke Industries in Charlotte, N.C. After 27 years of success as the Charlotte manager, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations in 2010 and continued in that capacity until his retirement in 2021.

Cliff was an avid Kentucky sports fan. Anytime that he wasn’t working he would be decked out in all blue Kentucky gear. He enjoyed returning to his home state twice per year to go to the horse races at Keeneland in Lexington. Besides Kentucky sports, he was a Charlotte Hornets season ticket holder during the 1980s and 1990s and rooted for the Atlanta Braves during the summer.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Arlett Clifton Cornelius III; and his sisters, Iula Cornelius Arnold, Patricia Cornelius Simonds, and Dois Cornelius Haines.

Cliff wished to express his love for his surviving family including son, Warren Patrick Cornelius; his daughter, Leslee Ann Cornelius, Charlotte, NC; his grandchildren, Maggie, Emilie, James, and Davis Cornelius, Virigina Beach, VA; and his sisters, Loretta Cornelius Kahn, Jacksonville, FL, and Nancy Cornelius House, Charlotte, NC.

A private family burial will be at Cerulean Cemetery in Cerulean, Kentucky.  A reception and visitation to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at The Bourbon Society, 1016 S. Main St, Hopkinsville, KY. Lamb Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements.

For those wishing to send memorial gifts, the family requests donations to the Levine & Dickson Hospice House, 8919 Park Road, Suite 1000, Charlotte, NC 28210 or to Cerulean Cemetery Fund, 1313 Cerulean-Hopkinsville Rd., Cerulean, KY 42215.

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