Born in Highland Park, Illinois, in 1954, Patricia soon moved with her family to Alamo, California, and then, in 1967, to Palm Beach, where she grew up and attended Rosarian Academy. She later settled in Lake Worth to raise her own family.
An undergraduate of the University of Florida and a graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Patricia found her calling in her second career as a history teacher and professor, retiring in 2016 due to her illness.
She will be deeply missed by her closest sibling and brother, William Allison Cornell; her dedicated son, Frank Tabernilla Cornell; her loving daughter, Anna Virginia Cornell Tabernilla and her grandson, William Patrick Shea.
Patricia is predeceased by her older sister, Susan Christine Cornell and her parents, William Clifford Cornell and Joan Norem Cornell.
At her request, her burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Historical Society of Palm Beach County or the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
