In Loving Memory - Gabriel Cornejo

On March 23, 2022, we lost a beloved family member. On behalf of the Cornejo and Oviedo families, we are fundraising to help cover funeral, memorial, and medical expenses. We welcome prayers and donations in any amount so that Gabriel’s family can focus on healing from this very great loss. Gabriel is survived by his wife Valerie Cornejo, daughter Katelyn Cornejo, and son Jayden Cornejo.

 

Valerie shared their love story in her Remember Speech:

Gabriel is my love, my best friend, and my everything. Our love story began over 20 years ago. The first time I saw Gabriel I immediately had a crush on him. I found a friend of his to tell him I thought he was cute, but he just didn’t seem to be interested in me. He graduated in 2000 and time passed. I was still in high school and a friend in school comes up to me and says, “Remember Gabriel? He wants your number.” While I was excited that he was interested, I was also mad that he initially blew me off. I told his friend, “You know, give me his number and I will call him when I have time” A couple of weeks passed and decided to call him.

 

We quickly became a couple and from that day we were inseparable. He was very handsome, funny, and very kind. We enjoyed going to movies, going to theme parks, and going to the beach. He always said, “If you can last with your boyfriend/girlfriend all day at a theme park, you must really like each other, and it will last.” That was true for us.

 

We married in 2003 and that same year we had our baby girl Katelyn. Looking back I realize being married so young and having a baby on top of it, the odds were against us. We didn’t know the responsibilities ahead of us. We just knew we were in love and we were excited that we were going to have our first baby. Gabriel was a great dad, he helped with Kate so much from the day she came home. He changed her diaper, fed her, and combed her hair when she was going to preschool and elementary school. He shaped her into the athlete she is now. He taught her to be strong physically and mentally. He always reminded her of how beautiful and smart she is. We just had so much fun raising her.

 

Four years later we had Jayden. Gabriel teared up when we found out we were going to have a boy. We now had our boy and our girl, and we were set. He was a wonderful dad to Jay. He taught him how to ride a bike, play baseball, and spent countless hours practicing with him. He enjoyed watching him play and was proud of him. Gabriel loved spending time with Jay and watching him grow into a teenager. He was looking forward to Jay's high school years.

 

Gabriel was a proud father. He checked in on the kids all the time and wanted to give them the best opportunities in life. He was always present with them. He was an energetic and super silly dad. Our children are very fortunate to have an amazing dad.

 

Time flew by and in our mid 30’s we realized that the kids were getting older and one day we would be alone and have more time to enjoy each other. We were looking forward to that. We like the idea but were not in a hurry for time to rush by. We kept busy and Gabriel always made sure to be there for the kids. He never missed a game or important event.

 

In 2020 COVID hit. Like everyone else we were forced to be together 24/7. We learned so much more about ourselves and each other. After being together all day for months and months, we knew we would have no problem when we retired. We started talking about how our retirement would look: Wake up and drink our coffee on our balcony. Then eat breakfast and go for a drive to the beach for some lunch. Maybe take a walk and shop around and come home to plan dinner. And of course, call the kids to see if they would like to join us for dinner. We would talk about who would be the coolest grandparent, who would spoil our grandkids the most. We joked that he would be the type of retired man wearing Hawaiian shirts. We had it all planned out.

 

In January 2021 we got the worst news… he had cancer. He was sick from the beginning of his diagnosis. For the first few months I wasn’t able join him in any appointments because of COVID rules. Once I was able to go in with him, I saw all the procedures he went through. He braved every single procedure and every single side effect. He went through a lot the past 15 months. He never lost hope and wasn’t ready to leave us. He wanted to be there for the kids and me. He kept saying he couldn’t understand how people can take life for granted. He appreciated everything he had.

 

He will not be here to see the kids grow into adults, or see them get married, or be there for his grandkids. I will not get the chance to see him age into to a handsome old man.

I will miss his flowers and the See’s Candies boxes he would get me every Valentine’s Day. I will miss our long conversations about the kids and life. I will miss his clean smell, his hugs, his kisses. I will miss all of him.

 

Gabriel helped me grow into who I am today and he gave me the greatest gift, LOVE. I am grateful for the wonderful memories we created together and the wonderful husband he was to me.

 

I will miss you babe and I will see you again.

--Valerie Cornejo