Obituary

Sandra Joan Kornelis went to be with her Lord and savior on October 23rd, 2022 after a long fight with Cancer.

Sandi was born on March 9th, 1953, in Bellingham WA. at Saint Joseph’s hospital to John and Joanna Dykman. She grew up on a dairy farm just South of Lynden and attended Lynden Christian school.  She worked on the farm while growing up with her parents John and Jo, her sister Dort, and her two brothers Bernie and John. She often talked about processing chicken eggs after school.

Sandi met and married her husband Lee Kornelis in 1970. They bought a small house on the Vinup Rd. in Lynden WA. and had 2 children while living there. Son Jon Kornelis, and daughter Lori Beaven. Sandi taught piano, picked berries, and grew big gardens at that little house while Lee worked as a meat cutter.

In 1975, they bought a house and a horse arena on the Birch Bay Lynden Rd. They started a horse boarding operation and bred and raced Arabian horses. In 1978, their son Sam was born making them a family of 5.

In 1981, Alaska called to Lee and Sandi, and they packed the family up and moved to Cordova, AK. The family spent 9 months living in a travel trailer at the edge of town while Lee worked on Cordova’s new Harbor and Sandi kept the family fed and warm in the little trailer. To keep the family from cabin fever, she made homemade sourdough bread, wrangled the kids to school, and arranged many trips to the town library and swimming pool. The family returned to Lynden at the end of the year. Lee and Sandi then decided to rent out their horse area for hay storage. They spent many hours working on the building that was West Lyn feed, then Elenbaas feed, and is now Skagit farms in Lynden. They also started a small trucking co. were Lee operated the truck and Sandi did the books.

In 1984, They again left Lynden and moved to Prosser WA. where Lee again worked construction on a fish bypass system. They returned that year and again continued with their trucking co. Sandi also worked at the Dutch Mothers restaurant in Lynden making many friends there.

In 1986, Sandi’s kids were getting older, and she decided to return to school and attended Bellingham Vo-Tec. She then started working for the Lynden school district where she would work for over the next 20 plus years until she retired. She would talk often about the many friends she made there and the how much she enjoyed working with the kids.

In 2004, Lee and Sandi bought 30 acres, built a small farm, and started a horse breeding and racing operation. They bred and raced running quarter horses for the next decade while operating a small hay operation. Sandi loved her farm and had chickens, goats, dogs, cats, and horses. She enjoyed putting in hay and spent many hours out in the fields running tractors, picking up hay, and feeding everyone at the end of the day. She was no stranger to hard work and kept an immaculate yard full of flowers, and perfectly mowed grass.

Sandi enjoyed playing and teaching piano. She was an expert piano player and played at many churches in Whatcom County over the years for praise and worship and church programs. She also enjoyed farming with her family, having people over for coffee, baking cakes, camping, volunteering for many events and the food bank, and most of all, spending time with her family.

She will be dearly missed by her Husband Lee Kornelis, Her kids Jon and Aubrey Kornelis, Lori Beaven, Sam, and Kelsey Kornelis. Grandkids Tyrus Beaven, Beaux (Bo) Kornelis, Kylie Larmer Jaxon and Corrina Olson, Dutch Kornelis, and Jett Kornelis. Great grandchild Branch Olson, and countless other family members and friends. She will be remembered for her bright smile, positive attitude, and kindness to everyone she met. Sandi led a very full life and a full book could be written on all her adventures.

A Memorial Service will be at the Northwest Fairgrounds Rotary building in Lynden WA. on Friday, November 11th from 4pm to 6pm. A light lunch will be provided. Feel free to bring a desert or some cookies.

The family requests that those wishing to honor her life and memory, to please make donations to Whatcom Hospice or the Ferndale food bank.