About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2018)
Nick Bowman Features Editor | 770-718-3426 | life@gainesvilletimes.com S'hc Srtnes gainesvilletimes.com Wednesday, December 26, 2018 rifrf 1 uiimu. Photos courtesy CANDICE EASTON I For The Times Cornelius Cornelssen VIII. ‘Have courage’ Daughter asking veterans to bid farewell to her father, WWII veteran BY NICK BOWMAN nbowman@gainesvilletimes.com Have courage. That’s how Cornelius Cornelssen VII signed off on a brief telegram to his son, Cornelius VIII, who had just been wounded in Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1945. “Hope wounds not serious mother and I are praying for you have courage,” read the telegram, now an artifact folded and faded in the possession of Cornelssen’s granddaughter, his son’s daughter. Pfc. Cornelius Cornelssen VIII — born July 25,1925, in Manhattan and died Dec. 17,2018, in Hoschton — had courage. He enlisted into the Army at 18 years old and was a heavy machine gunner in the 101st Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Bronze Star for “exemplary conduct in ground combat against the armed enemy” during the Rhineland Campaign in early 1945. He earned two Purple Hearts for his war wounds in Lux embourg and Arracourt, in north ern France. “He was shot in the calf and he fell to the ground,” his daughter, Candice Easton, told The Times on Christmas Eve about his fight in Luxembourg. “As he lay there and waited for medics, he saw some body going around the field — a German picking off the wounded. He lay there and he played dead and hoped for the best, and he got bypassed. “When a medic got there to help him, he got shot. It was really something. My dad isn’t very dra matic — I’m being dramatic about it — but by the time my father was taken to a field hospital, he thought it was over with and he could finally relax, the field hospital got bombed and they had to move all the patients.” At the end of the war, Cornels sen would return to Pennsylvania, where he attended Drexel Univer sity in Philadelphia on the GI Bill to study engineering. He would also meet his wife, Jeanne Cornelssen, at Drexel before graduating and going on to create his own engineering firm in Camden, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. He moved to North Georgia in the 1990s to be closer to his chil- 1 1 Pfc. Cornelius Cornelssen VI11 was born July 25,1925, in Manhattan and died Dec. 17, in Hoschton. A celebration of life is planned for noon Saturday, Dec. 29, in Flowery Branch. Celebration of Life for Cornelius Cornelssen When: Noon, Dec. 29 Where: Flowery Branch Masonic Lodge, 5416 Spring Street More info: Candice Easton, candice9792@gmail.com dren. While living in the area, he attended the Brenau University Learning and Leisure Institute and enjoyed local theater. He lived independently until age 90, when an injury left him in the care of his daughter. For the past few years, he lived in the Oaks at Braselton because of his deteriorat ing health. Now, 63 years after Cornelssen was brought to the ground by a rifle round halfway around the world, there’s almost no one left to bid farewell to the late soldier — a fate becoming more common for the longest-lived veterans of WWII. Cornelssen is survived by two children, a son in Hilton Head and his daughter in Hoschton. With her father already buried in the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton only two days after his death, Easton is trying to give him a celebration of life worthy of the man himself. “My father was a very good man, and just because he died so old there’s nobody left to come,” Easton said, her voice breaking. “We’re from New York, and he has two friends up there, and they’re in their 90s and they won’t be able to come ... I’m the only one left. I’m 63, I’m having a celebration of life for him this Saturday in Flowery Branch at the Masonic Hall, and I’m worried nobody will come.” Cornelssen’s celebration of life is set for noon Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Flowery Branch Masonic Lodge on 5416 Spring Street. Easton invites local veterans to attend and celebrate her late father. “Ever since I stepped into my father’s life — remember, I was just this little girl, so I wasn’t some body he told a whole lot of stories to — I realize every time my dad was with veterans or veterans are together, they have a certain, very strong, bond and camaraderie,” Easton said. “There’s a brother hood, and it matters. They matter to each other.” More than 16 million Americans fought in World War II, and fewer than 500,000 are estimated to still live, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Like other soldiers who returned from Europe and the Pacific the aters, Cornelssen at first didn’t talk much about his time in the war. But later in his life, he opened up to his daughter. “One time, I asked my father what he was thinking about when he was sent overseas,” Easton told The Times. “He answered that he was thinking the same thing as every other soldier, ‘I hope I’m brave.’” Melt away the cold with these warm winter soups AUSTIN STEELE I The Times Chili is one of the soup options available at Sweet Magnolias. BY KELSEY RICHARDSON kriciiardson@ gainesvilletimes.com If you’re already feeling the post-Christmas blues or dreading the colder months ahead, a few tried-and-true soup places in the area have you covered. Warm your winter by try ing these locally made bowls of warmth and goodness, all of which were recom mended by various soup lov ers in the community. Alpha Gyro Grill Combining their Greek family recipes, Alpha Gyro Grill co-owners George Gian- noulas and Christos Nicolaou, have created three of their favorite soups to serve to the community of Gainesville. Nicolaou said Giannoulas prepares each soup from scratch every day. “Soup is the elixir of life, it’s a very nice introductory course before your meal,” he said. Bringing brightness not only with its yellow hue, but its flavor, Alpha Gyro Grill’s lemon chicken soup is more than meets the eye. Don’t be fooled by its creamy texture, the soup contains no milk. Although the soup’s base is made from chicken broth, the citrusy flavor from the lemon sings the loudest note. Other ingredients in the soup include beaten eggs, pieces of chicken and orzo, a short-cut pasta. For those who want to stay warmer longer, Nicolaou recommends the lentil soup. Completely vegetarian, the soup is composed of lentils, onions, garlic, bay leaves, tomato sauce, car rots, oregano, spearmint and other herbs. The lentils add a full-bod ied texture to the soup, mak ing it a filling option for the winter. Also known as the staple food of the Greek Army, Alpha Gyro Grill makes a white bean soup. Nicolaou said he calls it “mountain soup” for its heartiness. The white bean soup is made of navy beans, onions, carrots, celery, tomato sauce and a touch of seasoning from salt and pepper. Other options that will soon pop up on the restaurant’s menu include garbanzo soup and beef vegetable soup. Alpha Gyro Grill is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Satur day. You can find it at 215 Jesse Jewell Parkway SE in Gainesville. Sweet Magnolias Cafe & Bakery Sweet Magnolias Cafe & Bakery offers a selection of rotating soups year-round. Anabel Lopez, manager of the restaurant, said two of the most popular options are the tomato basil soup and the shrimp and potato soup. “All of our soups are made from scratch and nothing is frozen or preserved,” she said. The tomato basil soup is composed of tomato paste, fresh garlic and basil. The shrimp and potato soup con tains shrimp, carrots, corn and potatoes. The restaurant addition ally makes a chili with ground beef, chili beans, tomatoes and special seasoning. “The recipe was handed down from the previous owners,” Lopez said. “All of our customers say it’s the best chili in town because it’s made fresh.” Sweet Magnolias Cafe & Bakery is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It is located in the Main Street Market at 118 Main St. SW in Gainesville. Longstreet Cafe Treat your tastebuds to Longstreet Cafe’s South ern soup classics like the chicken and dumplings and home-style vegetable soup. Mixed of onions, pota toes, green beans, peas and tomatoes, the restau rant’s vegetable soup is the most popular choice among customers. “It’s comfort food,” Bobby Peck, the restau rant’s general manager said. “People grew up eat ing vegetable soup in the winter time, but we sell it year-round.” Every Monday, Long street Cafe serves its beloved chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are made out of the restaurant’s biscuit dough, which are added to the soup’s broth and strips of chicken. Peck said the chicken and dumplings recipe has been on the menu since Longstreet Cafe opened more than two decades ago. Other soups people can find at the restaurant include Brunswick stew, clam chowder and bean soup. Longstreet Cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-8 p.m., Monday through Sat urday. The restaurant’s two Gainesville locations are at 405 Pearl Nix Parkway and 1043 Riverside Terrace. Want more soup options? Check out Natural Juice Cafe at 2480 Limestone Parkway in Gainesville, Saigon Deli at 3446 Winder Highway in Flowery Branch or Eat At Thai at 975 Dawsonville Highway in Gainesville.
