December 20, 1931 – February 9, 2023 Darlene Natalie Cornilles died Thursday, Feb. 9.
She was the daughter of William Clarence and Natalie Pascoe Towery of Nampa.
She was born Dec. 20, 1931, in Nampa and grew up on their small family farm.
She acquired sewing and cooking skills from her mother, who was a 4-H leader for many years.
She has fond memories of attending Sunnyridge Elementary school in a tworoom schoolhouse through the eighth grade.
Part of the adventure was walking the 3 ½ miles to school since their school had no bus service.
The walk, for her, siblings and friends, was a half-mile shorter if they cut through fields and walked along ditch banks. Later she rode a horse to school.
She enjoyed growing up on the farm, especially the frequent visits from her many cousins and other town kids.
Weekends there were many rousing baseball games, which might include kids and adults in the front pasture where cowpies were often used as bases.
Ninth grade meant riding a school bus to Central Junior High and then to Nampa High School as a sophomore.
Darlene enjoyed basketball, archery, gymnastics and tumbling.
She learned to play tennis and loved the game, which became an important part of her life.
One day in geometry class, she noticed a boy looking at her and when their eyes met, he winked at her, and she winked back.
And that is when she first met Jerry Cornilles, the love of her life.
After graduation, she attended the University of Idaho and was a member of the swim team and field hockey team and enjoyed interpretive dance.
In 1951 she and Jerry were married and continued to live in Nampa where they raised their four children Pam, Julie, Lori and Jeff.
Darlene loved to dance, but at most school dances and even after their marriage, she missed out because Jerry was the drummer in the band.
They still danced whenever they could.
Darlene introduced Jerry to tennis, and it became an important part of their lives.
They both played socially and in competitive leagues several times a week.
One of Darlene’s teams competed in the regional championships in Vail, Colorado.
Darlene and Jerry were co-founding members of the Midland Heights Tennis Club.
Tennis gear accompanied them wherever in the world they traveled.
They loved playing mixed doubles and, because Darlene was such a strong player, they were able to compete with men’s teams.
Part of the fun was challenging players on nearby courts and surprising some good men players because she was so competitive.
They also enjoyed many tennis trips to tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon and Indian Wells.
They also founded and ran for 10 years the Mercy Medical Center Tennis Tournament, which became the biggest tennis tournament in Idaho and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospital.
Darlene also started the Ethnic Food Fair to benefit Mercy Medical Center.
Darlene and Jerry shared a love of golf. This passion allowed them to share the sport of golf with their children and grandchildren.
They have enjoyed many great rounds of golf and golf trips with friends and families as they explored courses in many different locations.
Darlene was a competitive and sassy golfer.
Both Darlene and Jerry started skiing while in high school, and that also became a lifetime sport. After their children came along, each were taught to ski starting at an early age.
The family spent many wonderful weekends on the ski hill at Brundage Mountain Resort soaking in the beautiful scenery and joyfilled days on the hill.
As each grandchild was born, they were also introduced at an early age to the sport of skiing.
When her youngest child started school, Darlene started working outside the home and became the business office manager at Mercy Medical Center, where she worked for 10 years until Jerry convinced her to manager his insurance agency.
Working together, which they enjoyed, made the business more successful.
McCall held a special place in Darlene’s heart. She spent many hours in her early years of marriage in McCall with family.
Over the years, Darlene and Jerry completed their dream of building a family cabin in McCall. The cabin was a labor of love in which the children and grandchildren helped to build.
Many amazing family sledding adventures, snowshoeing, skiing, golfing, horseshoes and family campfires creating loving and lasting memories for all.
One of her grandchildren added these memories. “I loved when she’d pop her head out the cabin door and yell ‘YoooooooooHoooooooo’ to get everyone back in for dinner.
“I think of her every time I yell it….usually in very public places! Grandma was a Master Snuggler. I was her apprentice. Her arms were always open, and you could feel her love pour into you.
“Grammy was sneakily spunky. She was a trickster at heart, and she loved to be silly which is what made her such a perfect match for grandpa. She would dive over the table in a game of spoons; pour cold water over us in the hot tub; and joyfully stick her tongue out….all to remind us all never to take ourselves too seriously. Thank you, Grandma. Your spirit lives on in all of us.”
Darlene has always been a woman with a vision and a mission for service in the community in which she lived.
Her finger prints have touched on many areas in the Nampa community.
She was instrumental in seeing the need for quality childcare in Nampa and then going on to create the Kid’s Stuff Early Learning Preschool and Daycare Center at the First United Methodist Church in Nampa.
This included licensing, accreditation and hiring a director. This program has provided Christian based, quality care for hundreds of children and families over the many years of its existence.
She and Jerry have been avid and active supporters of Canyon County Boys and Girls Club since its start.
Their work on the live auction committee of the annual Gala fundraiser has helped raised much needed funds to provide an affordable, safe, nurturing after-school environment for kids of working parents.
Traveling was something that Darlene and Jerry were able to enjoy with family and friends. Their travels took them to China, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, England, Ireland, Mexico and South Africa.
She loved their adventures, like riding bikes through France with friends as they toured the wineries and villages of the regions and a big game safari in South Africa.
They also completed an amazing Trans-Atlantic Jazz cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner, and were avid fans of the Sun Valley Jazz Festival for more than 20 years.
Darlene’s greatest pleasure was spending time with her husband of 72 years, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She was always there to offer her love, support and an open heart for anyone who needed it. Many of her grandchildren considered her one of their dearest friends.
She had quick wit and great sense of humor.
The essence of Darlene’s life is perhaps best captured by her last words when she whispered, “I Love You More.”
We are grateful to have been blessed with such an amazing mother, mentor and friend.
We can never replace the hole that will be left with her passing. We are happy that she is now at peace and is at home in heaven.
We can only imagine her joy at meeting Jesus and what that celebration was like with family and friends. Like the lyrics of the song, “I Can Only Imagine” “What it will be like, When I walk by your side, I can only imagine, what my eyes would see, when your face is before me, I can only imagine, Surrounded by your glory “What will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of you will be still?
“Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine.”
We know this for sure, she did not have to be carried or wheeled to that meeting, she walked again or ran…… or maybe danced.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 2 p.m. at The First United Methodist Church, 2717 12th Avenue Road, Nampa.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Boys and Girls Club of Nampa, 316 Stampede Drive, Nampa, ID 83687 or Nampa Train Depot Museum, P.O. Box 595, Nampa, ID 83651.
Services are under the direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel where an online guest book and full obituary is available at www.nampafuneralhome. com.
