Dr. James Dixon Cornelius was born August 24, 1932 in Gum Tree, VA. He departed this earthly life to take his place with the angels on April 25, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Lucille Cornelius, daughter Lisa Ashby (David), granddaughters, Brittany and Erica Lightfoot, and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends

While attending college he met the love of his life, Lucille Jones and the two were married in the early 5o’s. Shortly after they were married, he was drafted by the United States Army. After several years of duty, he and his wife relocated to Long Island, New York where he worked as a dry cleaner and built their family home. Shortly thereafter, they welcomed their daughter Lisa.

The desire to continue building a better life for themselves led him to go back to school and continue his education. He earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. While fostering his life in Long Island, he and his family became devout members of Union Baptist Church in Hempstead, Long Island.

While there he served as a Trustee and Sunday School Teacher for well over 40 years. His love for education and humanity led him to pursue several careers including Substance Abuse Counselor, Psychotherapist, and one of the Directors for the New York City Housing Authority, as well as, being an Associate Professor for one of the local universities. His love for helping people became his life’s work. Upon retiring, he fulfilled his promise to his wife to bring her back to their home in Virginia.

His love for God and Church brought him to become a member of First Baptist Church of South Richmond. During his membership, he was a loyal member of the Male Chorus, Small Group Ministry, and the Men’s Ministry.

To know Dr. James Cornelius was to know that he loved his family with his whole heart, especially his wife of 70 years Lucille, his daughter Lisa, granddaughters Brittany and Erica, and son-in-law David.