Cornell William Murley Ross

Dec 18, 1938 - June 14, 2020

Cornell passed peacefully in his sleep on June 14, 2020 after a significant bout with Lewey Body Dementia. Cornell was born in San Francisco. He spent most of his life in the Bay Area, except for 3 years in Germany after being drafted into the Army. He went to Lafayette Elementary, Presidio Jr. High and Washington High School, and still had many loyal friends who visited him regularly up to the end. His young life was interrupted by polio, but he recovered well enough to play football in high school. He studied Urban Planning and Photography at SFCC and SFSU after high school, becoming an accomplished photographer, a nice accompaniment to his love of travel. Cornell was a city boy through and through, driving his contractor’s truck around S.F. as if it were a sports car, fearlessly double-parking while running in to pick up just one item. He spent some years doing odd jobs before becoming a building contractor, including delivering milk to some of S.F.’s most prominent residents, back in the days when the door was left open for the milkman to put the milk in the fridge and collect the bottles and the order for next week. He seemed to know every mysterious alley, wooden staircase and pre-earthquake building and had many Caen-type anecdotes.

Cornell was a magnet for strangers - his natural curiosity was immediately disarming. He loved watching the kids trick-or-treat and perform in events, and was not above playing with dolls when the situation called for it.

A season subscriber to the symphony, opera and ballet and regular attendee at the S.F. art museums, he had an unusual grasp of music, art and history, but was always ready to discover something new.

Cornell is survived by his sister Marie and her 2 sons Chris Lucido and Rick Mirabile and their children, by former step-children Trevor Ross and Penelope Van Allman and their children, by his cousin Carolyn Neu, by his long time companion Pam Bousquet and her children and their families, and by many friends and neighbors from numerous adventures throughout his life. Cornell is missed by all who knew him.