Obituary
Scot James Cornwall, 76, died November 9th, 2022, in his home in Tavares, Florida.
Scot was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, on August 10, 1946, to Robert “R.M.” Maynard Cornwall and Janet “Sue” Jones Cornwall. After graduating from Ripon High School in 1964, Scot attended St. Olaf College, highlighted by a semester studying in Thailand, and obtained a masters in Library Studies from Rutgers University in 1969. Scot then moved to Boston, MA, where he worked for the Boston Public Library for over 33 years. In 1977, Scot met William “Bill” Robert Opperman in Boston, MA, and, along with their friend Hera Welsh Goodrich, had two children, Kirstin Sidney and Carl Peter Goodrich. After their marriage in 2004, Scot and Bill retired to Central Florida in 2005.
Scot showed fierce love, loyalty, and devotion to his husband, children, grandchildren, and closest friends. He channeled his passion for geography, history, culture, and world politics through his extensive stamp collection, and would scrupulously navigate the postal service to send care packages to his grandchildren overseas. He was a member of the American Philatelic Society and the Central Florida Stamp Club, as well as president for many years of the Golden Triangle Stamp Club. He will be remembered for his infectious smile, his wealth of knowledge, and as a proud and patriotic Democrat and activist in the LGBTQ community. Scot was a founding member of the Dorchester Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA), member of the Greater Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance, and founding member and officer of the Triangle Connection in Central Florida.
Scot is survived by his husband Bill Opperman, brothers Dr. Thomas “Tom”, Steven “Steve,” and Dr. Jeffrey “Jeff” Cornwall, children Kirstin and Dr. Carl Goodrich (Mary Robbins), grandchildren Sidney and Theodore Goodrich-Robbins, step-grandchildren Alex and Hailey Moynihan-Stevens, and godchildren Valerie Hansen and Suzanne Thibeault, and many dear lifelong friends.
A service is tentatively planned for the summer of 2023. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Zebra Coalition (zebrayouth.org) or Lake Cares (lakecares.org).
Godspeed Scot.
J Dorsey