Peter Cornelia: February 1946 – July 2026

It is with great sadness to report the passing of former President and Lymm Rugby
Club stalwart Peter Cornelia, always affectionately known as PC.

Peter Francis Cornelia was born in Feb 1946 to parents Mary and Mark Cornelia and
raised in Clarence Road, Grappenhall where he spent his whole life.

Peter was the youngest of 3 sons and is survived by his older brother Colin.

Peter married his wife Magdalena, whom he had met whilst working In Budapest, in
1984 and they have two sons Richard and Peter. Richard is married to Hayley and
they also have 2 sons Elliott and Alfie.

Magdalena and the family were the bedrock of PC’s life and he was extremely proud
of them all and grateful for the support they provided, particularly in later life when
his health deteriorated.

As a boy Peter attended the local primary school and church St. Augustine’s, leaving
in 1957 to complete his secondary education at St. Francis Xavier’s College in
Liverpool.

His first Job, right after leaving school, was as a cartographer for the Ordnance
Survey. This was closely followed by a move to Manchester University (1966–1967)
where he joined the Astronomy Department, working as an observer technician for a
Professor Zdeněk Kopal who was a leading member of the NASA Apollo team. Peter
worked on two NASA contracts helping to map out the moon landing areas which
involved him travelling back and forth to the Pic du Midi Observatory in France to
photograph and chart the moon’s surface using the telescope.

Later, he worked as a National Design and Sales Manager in the furniture industry
and after that he was employed in the same role in the Audio-Visual Industry.

PC was always a social animal with a big circle of friends some of whom go back to
his early teens. Arthur Ashcroft remembers them in those early days striding out in
Grappenhall village and dancing at the Grappy Hop before moving on to the dances
at St Thomas’s in Stockton Heath and the Co-Op Hall in Warrington. Peter was
always nimble on his feet and would always be up dancing the Jive at the social
events at the Rugby Club

PC was not a founder member of the club but joined very soon after in 1962 along
with many of his friends and immediately became smitten with the Club. He did play
rugby for the lower teams but it would be fair to say that his early contribution to the
ongoing success of Lymm Rugby Club was off the field where he became heavily
involved in the organisation of social events. These were hugely popular and very
successful, and he served as Social Secretary for many years in the ‘60s and early
‘70s.

Many of the events still live large in the memory of the older members. The Cabaret
Nights, where the star turns included Ken Dodd, the live music evenings with
Poacher, an early pantomime ‘Off White and the Blue Dwarves’, and of course the
New Year’s Eve fancy dress parties. Some of these events have become legendary
and the stories surrounding PC have become enshrined in club folklore.

Later he would be instrumental in helping to organise hugely successful Charity
rugby games for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

His other massive contribution to the continuing success of Lymm Rugby Club was
his involvement with the running of the Colts, particularly in the ‘70s, first as assistant
to John Hartley and then in his own right. The Colts continue to this day as part of
the hugely successful Mini and Juniors and Peter made a major contribution to the
foundation stones of this section of the Club.

The Colts won the Cheshire Shield for 4 consecutive years in the late ‘70s and early
‘80s under Peter’s stewardship. PC did not limit his recruitment to Lymm Grammar
School and widened his net to include the Catholic schools at St Ambrose and De La
Salle. The captains of those teams, Mark Jackson, Neil Kelly and John Cartwright
not only went on to play for the 1st XV but Mark became Club Captain and Neil and
John have both served as Chairman and President. There are too many players to
mention who have come through his Colts teams to play Senior Rugby and many
remain Club members to this day.

PC’s contribution to the success of Lymm Rugby Club both on and off the field
cannot be underestimated. He worked hard and put in hours upon hours of his own
time but always did so with a great sense of humour and plenty of fun.

He served as Club Secretary alongside Keith Etherington in the late ‘80s and was
elected as Club President in 2007, a position he was immensely proud to hold.

Beyond the Rugby Club, Peter enjoyed his golf and played a regular fourball with
Alan Cummins. Daks and Ian Haigh at High Legh Golf Club.

He was also a Life Member of the Ex-Servicemen’s Club in Grappenhall.

PC bore his condition, which slowly debilitated him, for many years since it was first
diagnosed in 2012. He did so with cheerfulness and good humour and only toward
the end did it prevent him getting up to Crouchley Lane to support his beloved
Lymm.

RIP PC, you will be missed by your many friends