Edna's Bio:
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Edna was born to Joseph and Emma Bauer of Alton, Illinois on May 30, 1907. Her
father owned a jewelry store in that city. She married and had one child, a daughter
named Lynda. Following a divorce, Edna supported Lyn and herself by working at the
newspaper in Alton and even became a featured writer.
In the mid 1950's, she met Otto Cornelius who had come to Alton to visit friends. He
was a widower who lived in Fairborn, Ohio. At the time, he was an executive at the
Portland Cement Company. The two began a long-distance relationship that led to a
marriage proposal. To the locals in Fairborn, Edna had appeared from nowhere to
take up residence in the red brick house on Xenia Avenue. They were, in fact,
married in front of the fireplace in the house that Edna called home until her death in
2003.
Otto was a remarkable man in his own right. As a young boy he cut his leg badly, but
his parents could not afford to take him to a doctor. The wound became infected and
eventually a neighbor took him for medical treatment. In the end, his leg had to be
amputated. It did not slow him down very much. He was very athletic and played
basketball. Later he turned to golf, a sport that he mastered. In Fairborn, he
eventually helped lay out the golf course at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He
aided the medical staff at the base hospital by testing artificial limbs that were being
developed for returning soldiers. Edna used to tell the story of one "leg" that gave out
during a round of golf. Otto finished the game, but cut an unusual picture dragging a
prototype leg behind him as he passed the General's residence on the last hole.
Edna wanted to please her new husband, so she decided to try her hand at golf.
After a few attempts, Otto suggested that she might want to pursue a different activity.
She told him that she had always wanted to try painting. He bought her paints, paper,
and an easel. He went out to golf, and she, though over the age of fifty, began to
paint.
Her great friend, Betsy Priaulx, described her work saying: "She often painted local
scenery, but also copied pictures she liked. Her favorite spot for painting was
standing by the big kitchen window - and she painted VERY fast! She often told me
that if she couldn't complete a picture in less than half a day, she'd give up on it. I'm
sure she would do touch-ups later. She loved working with watercolors - mostly bright
colors, which surprised me. (I always had thought of watercolors as being more
subdued.)
Eddie was an active member of the Arts community in the Dayton area. She painted
for the pure enjoyment of it and gave away some of her paintings as gifts to friends
and family. When she died in 2003, the family invited friends to select from the many
pictures that Edna left as a part of her legacy. Still, some paintings remain
unclaimed. Those of us who love Edna wish to preserve her life's work. Some of the
paintings shown in the gallery are available for adoption. The main requirements for
those who wish to receive one are:
father owned a jewelry store in that city. She married and had one child, a daughter
named Lynda. Following a divorce, Edna supported Lyn and herself by working at the
newspaper in Alton and even became a featured writer.
In the mid 1950's, she met Otto Cornelius who had come to Alton to visit friends. He
was a widower who lived in Fairborn, Ohio. At the time, he was an executive at the
Portland Cement Company. The two began a long-distance relationship that led to a
marriage proposal. To the locals in Fairborn, Edna had appeared from nowhere to
take up residence in the red brick house on Xenia Avenue. They were, in fact,
married in front of the fireplace in the house that Edna called home until her death in
2003.
Otto was a remarkable man in his own right. As a young boy he cut his leg badly, but
his parents could not afford to take him to a doctor. The wound became infected and
eventually a neighbor took him for medical treatment. In the end, his leg had to be
amputated. It did not slow him down very much. He was very athletic and played
basketball. Later he turned to golf, a sport that he mastered. In Fairborn, he
eventually helped lay out the golf course at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He
aided the medical staff at the base hospital by testing artificial limbs that were being
developed for returning soldiers. Edna used to tell the story of one "leg" that gave out
during a round of golf. Otto finished the game, but cut an unusual picture dragging a
prototype leg behind him as he passed the General's residence on the last hole.
Edna wanted to please her new husband, so she decided to try her hand at golf.
After a few attempts, Otto suggested that she might want to pursue a different activity.
She told him that she had always wanted to try painting. He bought her paints, paper,
and an easel. He went out to golf, and she, though over the age of fifty, began to
paint.
Her great friend, Betsy Priaulx, described her work saying: "She often painted local
scenery, but also copied pictures she liked. Her favorite spot for painting was
standing by the big kitchen window - and she painted VERY fast! She often told me
that if she couldn't complete a picture in less than half a day, she'd give up on it. I'm
sure she would do touch-ups later. She loved working with watercolors - mostly bright
colors, which surprised me. (I always had thought of watercolors as being more
subdued.)
Eddie was an active member of the Arts community in the Dayton area. She painted
for the pure enjoyment of it and gave away some of her paintings as gifts to friends
and family. When she died in 2003, the family invited friends to select from the many
pictures that Edna left as a part of her legacy. Still, some paintings remain
unclaimed. Those of us who love Edna wish to preserve her life's work. Some of the
paintings shown in the gallery are available for adoption. The main requirements for
those who wish to receive one are:
Edna M. (Bauer) Cornelius
1907 -2003
1907 -2003
| 1) Agree to mount and frame the painting and 2) Attach this bio to the back of the frame. |