Cornelius Neufeld

Cornelius E. Neufeld passed away on Sunday, October 6th in Lenexa. Born to Abraham T. and Anna (Ediger) Neufeld, rural Inman, on November 11, 1931, the youngest of eleven, Cornelius was a near-lifetime Kansas resident.

Following graduation from Inman High School in 1950, Cornie worked on the family farm until he joined Mennonite Voluntary Service from 1953 to 1955, where he fell in love with hospital work and the state of Maine. After earning his RN in 1958 from Kansas City General Hospital, he went on to become the first male to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Kansas in 1963.

In 1958, he married the love of his life, Constance (Connie) Cecelia Chesney, at Central Bible Church in Kansas City, Missouri. They would remain married until her death in 2016 and raised three children: Craig, Scott, and Judith (Rafael), born 1961, 1963, and 1965 respectively. At the time of his passing, Cornelius had six grandchildren, Eli (Kimberly), Chelsea (Peter), Mallory, Nate, Matias, and Micaela, and four great-grandchildren, Amos, Henry, Lydia, and Samuel Vanderhorst for whom he showed a great affinity. 

After earning his masters from the University of Colorado in 1965, Cornie went on to serve as the Director of Nursing at Western Missouri Mental Health Center from 1968 to 1988 whereupon he served as the hospital's first Patient Advocate until retiring in 1997.

Cornie was an avid cyclist, rarely missing the annual Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride.

Family bike rides often turned into neighborhood runs as multiple kids would join Cornie and his kids when they saw the Neufeld clan biking up the street.

After retirement, he became known throughout church and community alike for his leatherworking, affinity for kids, and love of donuts. He was beloved in his volunteer position at Old Shawnee Town, where he introduced hobbyist leatherworking to history-fairgoers and shared stories of his own youth in rural Kansas. He also volunteered at Solace House, Evening Care, Catch-a-Ride and Meals on Wheels. Upon retirement, he and Connie travelled extensively both abroad and in the US, often to visit Judy and her family in San Diego.

A devout Christian from early childhood, Cornelius was a family man and friend to all whom he came across. He loved his neighborhood trail, his goldfish, his garden and his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He kept a large collection of wooden ducks and decorated his house with photos of ancestors and descendants alike. He loved and is loved and all whom you ask confirm it.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 3:00 pm at Lake of the Forest Clubhouse, 100 Lake of the Forest, Bonner Springs KS, 66012, followed by a meal. The family suggests memorials to Solace House and Shawnee Town 1929.