Cornelius Gerrit VerBeek

Cornelius was a beloved son, brother, father, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a Christian, choosing to serve God at a young age. He was born on April 9, 1940, in Alvord, Iowa, to Gerrit and Retta (Tylstra) VerBeek and was raised alongside his two siblings, older sister Caroline Joann and younger sister Annetta Jean, on their farm in Lyon County, Iowa.

Cornelius knew hard work from a young age on the farm, raising livestock and tending crops. In the early 1960s, he got a job opportunity and headed out west to Lakewood, Southern California. In 1962, he met his wife, Phyllis Ann McCormick. They married in 1964 and resided in Long Beach, California.

On February 9, 1966, they had their first daughter, Lorinda Lea. Cornelius' love of farming called him back to Iowa, so they packed up their little family and returned. They stayed on Cornelius' parents' land in a small house temporarily until they could purchase their own farm. They bought a big two-story home with a wraparound balcony and basement and began to build their family farm, adding a silo, barn, milking parlor and various livestock, including dairy cows (Grade 'A' milk), pigs, ducks, and chickens. They also planted fields of oats, alfalfa, corn, and soybeans. They had a second daughter on June 23,1968, Lorraine Lynn.

In addition to farming, Cornelius longed to learn auctioneering. He took a course and became a very skilled and sought after auctioneer, conducting many livestock and estate sales. Cornelius and Phyllis farmed until the mid-70s before returning to Hemet, California. Cornelius had many careers throughout the years that followed, pouring his dedication and hard work ethic into each one.

Cornelius is survived by his former wife, Phyllis Hunt of Cathedral City, CA; his daughter, Lorraine Morgan and son-in-law William Morgan of San Diego, CA; and grandchildren Alycia Morgan of Newport Beach, CA and Matthew Morgan of Laguna Hills, CA. He is preceded in death by his daughter Lorinda Lea and survived by his son-in-law David Petri of Alpine, CA; grandchildren Layne (Justin) Bone and great-grandchildren Dylan, Slater, Cannon, and Chloe of Bakersfield, CA; Kent (Janine) Petri of Meridian, ID; and Seth (Ashley) Petri of Chandler, AZ. He is preceded in death by his two sisters, older sister Caroline (Ken) Bottger of Marina, CA, and survived by his nieces Kendra Haro of Marina, CA, and Kathy Bottger of Sacramento, CA. He is also preceded in death by his younger sister Annetta (Lynne) Ingraham of Templeton, CA, and survived by his niece Sarah Ingraham of Los Angeles, CA.  He is survived by cousins Elaine Meyer (Minn), David VerBeek (SD), Ellsworth Niemeyer (AZ), Betty DeRaad, and Vonnie Melegaard (SD)

Cornelius will be remembered as a quiet, humble, loving, and gentle soul. We will miss him dearly. Our hearts take comfort in knowing he has broken from the bondages of his earthly body and is celebrating in heaven with his family, who are rejoicing with him there.

The Memorial Service for Cornelius will be held on Friday, January 17th, at 9:00 AM at Featheringill Mortuary, located at 6322 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, followed by a graveside service at 11:00 AM at Singing Hills Memorial Park, 2800 Dehesa Rd, El Cajon.  All are welcome.