Corinne Willis

CORINNE ELIZABETH WILLIS, nee Lemmon, a resident of Mentor, OH. passed away suddenly Sunday morning, May 6 at age 91. Corinne was born on November 4, 1920 to Samuel Philabaum and Elizabeth Wiggins Gilmore Lemmon in Piney Fork, OH. She attended school in Smithville, OH. Upon graduation she subsequently moved north and began her working career in Cleveland, OH. She met her future husband, Donald J. Willis while visiting her sister Laverne in Minerva, OH. Following a long distance letter-writing coutship they were married on September 5, 1939. Her husband worked as a clerk for the U.S. Postal service and together they set up housekeeping in Minerva. With the advent of World War II, her husband Don enlisted in the Army Air Corp and was initially stationed as various bases stateside. Corinne accompanied him and worked at each base in various capacities for the war effort. When Don was shipped overseas to take part in the invasion of Iwo Jima, Corinne continued to work in the aviation department as a wiring technician. Because of her petite size and short stature her job consisted of sliding into inaccesable areas of the nose section gunports on bombers and figheters and install and connect the wiring that controlled the plane's machine guns. On April 25, 1945 Corinne and Don became proud parents of their only child, Donald B. Willis. Following the War they returned to Minerva and picked up where they left off. In 1947 Corinne decided she wanted to go into business for herself. She asked her father, who was a carpenter, if he would take a front room parlour of their house and convert it into a store front. Following the renovation Corinne opened a clothing store catering to children - it was called Corinne's Baby Bar. To drum up business she would dress her son up in the latest fashons and go window-shopping in town. Being noticed, people with young children started patronizing her store and after five successful years in business she sold her shop to the local banker and his wife. Always looking ahead, Corinne approched Mr. Phillip Stern of the prestigious Stern and Mann department store in Canton, OH. and applied for a job as head buyer for their ladies specialties department. With virtually no experience in the field other than her own small business in Minerva, but with an enthusiastic gift of gab, total self-confidence in herself and her abilities and some good old fashoned Irish "blarney", she landed the coveted position. One month later she was on a plane to New York on her first buying expedition. Not knowing how to proceed once she arrived, she visited the various clothing manufactures and hung around the buyer's lounges, ease-dropping on conversations, picking up "buzz-words" and learning the ins and outs of the business. Her first buying trip was a total success and with sales skyrocketing the owners of Stern and Mann promoted her to General Manager with the stipulation that she would be allowed to continue on as head buyer. Thus began her career in clothing retail that included numerous high-end retail positions between Ohio and Boca Raton, Florida,. where she relocated following the sudden death of her beloved husband at age 61. They had been happily married for 37 years at the time of his passing in 1976. At the request of her son, Corinne moved back to Ohio in the late '80s, setting up housekeeping in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. Always active she kept working in various slower-paced positions until finally retiring at age 85. Her years were full, satisfying and rewarding. Her home was always open to visitors and guests and was constantly full of laughter, music and more laughter. When she turned 89 her health started to fail somewhat and she finally agreed to close up house and move into an assisted living facility in Mentor, OH. The year and a half that she was a resident at Haven Home Assisted Living was a time of comfort and happiness that was manifested by a surprising improvement in her health and well being. A freak fall in her room of the morning of May 1 resulted in a small fracture of her right humerus that proved to be the beginning of the end. She returned to Haven Home and was placed on pain medication and on the morning of Sunday, May 6, at 5.30 am she quietly and painlessly left her eartly form and returned home. We will miss her so much. She is survived by her beloved son, Donald B. Francille Susan of Lyndhurst, OH. and loving granddaughter on whom she doted and "indulged" for the past 38 years Kristi Ann Willis husband Clay Lutsch of Canal Winchester, OH. a sister-in-law and several nieces and nephews. Contributions may be made in her name to Haven Home Assisted Living, 7395 Rockingham Road, Mentor, OH. 44060 or Odyssey Health Care,. 6140 Parkland Drive, #105, Mayfield Hts., OH., 44124. Calling hours will be held Thursday, May 10 at the Brown-Forward funeral home from 4 - 8 pm. Funeral service will be held Friday at 11 am at the funeral home with private burial to follow in East Lawn Cemetery, Minerva, OH.


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