LILLIAN IRENE KLOCK CORBETT

“Maimie” was born on November 22, 1892, and married Edward Corbett on September 21, 1912. They lived on the east side of Syracuse, raising three children who gave her 9 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.

Lillian was always busy – she sewed for her children and she was always baking pies, cookies, and preparing simple meals. Her children smile when looking back knowing they never went to school without a hot breakfast. Her daughter, Claire’s most favorite memory was coming home from school and seeing her mother on the front porch shucking peas.

Lillian was a woman of great inner strength. She nursed her husband through very severe injuries suffered at his repair garage, waited patiently to hear from her only son serving as a Marine on an island in the Pacific, and saw her oldest daughter through surgery for cancer.

After her husband passed away, Lillian decided she had to keep busy so she became a caregiver to a family with children. The whole community fondly called her “Maimie”. It came from one of her grandchildren‘s attempt at saying grandma.

She eventually moved into Toomey Abbott Towers and started going to the Salvation Army’s Golden Age Center. While there she created some of our most cherished Christmas presents, working with ceramics, sewing, and other arts and crafts projects.

It was during this time that Lillian found out about the Betty Ford Breast Program encouraging women to do self-exams as a precaution against breast cancer. She eventually found a breast lump and her doctor’s diagnosis was positive. Lillian had a mastectomy at the age of 81. She lived to the grand old age of 95, enjoying her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and her great, great grandchildren for those 14 years.