A private family burial for 76-year-old Arlett ‘Cliff’ Cornelius, Jr., of Charlotte, North Carolina, and formerly of Hopkinsville, will be at Cerulean Cemetery in Cerulean.
A reception, and visitation, to celebrate his life will be from 4-7 PM Saturday at The Bourbon Society, located at 1016 S. Main Street in Hopkinsville.
Lamb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include:
His son, Warren Patrick Cornelius;
His daughter, Leslee Ann Cornelius, of Charlotte, North Carolina;
His grandchildren, Maggie, Emilie, James, and Davis Cornelius, of Virigina Beach, Virginia; And his sisters, Loretta Cornelius Kahn, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Nancy Cornelius House, of Charlotte, North Carolina.
He died Friday, August 23, 2024, at Southminster Hospice in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was in the company of his loving family.
He was born December 23, 1947 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he was the only son of 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, he was promoted to branch manager in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1983, he accepted the branch manager position for Dyke Industries in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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.
He 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, Lula Cornelius Arnold, Patricia Cornelius Simonds, and Dois Cornelius Haines.
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.
