William Dean Cornman, 82, of Litchfield died Friday, June 5, 2015, at 10 p.m. in his residence.
Funeral services for Mr. Cornman are scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, at 11 a.m. in the First Baptist Church of Litchfield. The Rev. Tim Shrader will officiate, with burial in Elmwood Cemetery, Litchfield. Visitation will be Tuesday evening from 4 until 7 at the Plummer Funeral Home, Litchfield.
Mr. Cornman was born on Nov. 26, 1932, in Herculaneum, MO, to Elmer and Opal (Langley) Cornman. He graduated from Mayfield High School, Mayfield, KY, in 1951. He was an Air Force veteran, serving from 1951 to 1952; then he received his BS degree in 1957 and his master's degree in 1961 from Murray State in Kentucky.
He served in the Litchfield School District for 36 years, first as an industrial arts teacher in the junior high in 1963. He was assistant superintendent from 1965 until 1986, becoming superintendent in 1986 and serving in that capacity until his retirement in 1992.
He was also an active civic leader, serving as Litchfield's director of economic development for two years, city alderman for Ward 3, and mayor from 1997 until 2001.
He also served on the St. Francis Hospital Advisory Board and the Elmwood Cemetery Association Board of Directors. He was housing inspector and was the administrator of housing rehabilitation; in that capacity he was instrumental in obtaining over $1,000,000 in grants for homeowners of limited income to repair their homes. He also obtained $64,000 to refurbish Litchfield's Carnegie Library.
He held memberships in the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Partners in Education and the Illinois Volunteer Association.
A past president of the Litchfield Rotary Club, he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and was named a Veiled Non-profit. Other memberships include Kiwanis Club, the Litchfield Country Club, American Legion Post #436, Voiture #860 of the 40&8, the Antler's Club (all of Litchfield) and Mt. Moriah Lodge #51 AF & AM of Hillsboro.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Litchfield, where he had served as deacon. He was a retired member of the Litchfield Volunteer Fire Department and coached Little League baseball teams for several years.
His hobbies included playing golf, woodworking, and woodcarving.
He and Jauan "Jo" Whitlow were married in Corinth, MS, on Nov. 19, 1952, and she survives. Also surviving are one son, Glen (Suzie) Cornman of Southlake, TX; one daughter-in-law, Rose Cornman of Cypress; six grandchildren, Joshua (Michelle) Cornman, Jennifer Cornman, Alisha Cornman, Adriane (Matt) Baan, Scott (Sophie) Cornman, and Jillian Cornman; 10 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Bob (Joyce) Cornman and David "Butch" Cornman, all of Mayfield, KY; and one sister, Nancy (Larry) Ackley of Benton, KY.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one son, Wayne Cornman.
The family suggests memorials to the First Baptist Church of Litchfield, the Litchfield Veterans' Memorial Garden Fund or the St. Louis Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association.
For more information, to light a candle, or to sign the online guestbook, visit www.plummerfuneralservices.com.
