Arlington National Cemetery

Florian Octave Cornay, aka Po, was the son of Ray (aka Honey) and Katherine Cornay (aka Mami'). He was born on April 16, 1929 in Lafayette, LA and passed on December 30, 2023.
Born and raised in south Louisiana, Po was active in Boy Scouts as a young boy. He learned to hunt and fish from his father. He was salutatorian and vice president of his high school graduating class. He received an academic scholarship and attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana where he was active in student affairs. He was a member of Theta Kappa Phi fraternity and president of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity.
Po entered the USMA at West Point in 1946, graduated in 1950, and was commissioned in Field artillery. He was mounted in the 4th Field Artillery Battalion (Pack) which was the last active army unit to use horses! He served with field artillery in the Korean War. Returning home, he went to graduate school at Georgia Institute of Technology and received his master's degree in electrical engineering in 1960. He then served in various capacities within the US Army Research and Development unit.
He married his one true love, Patricia Mary McGrath, in 1956 and raised two children, Lisa Mary and Brian Lyman.
During the early sixties Po was listed in Who's Who in Electronics for his work associated with the development of phased array radars. He was instrumental in the formulation and initial development of a system for field army ballistic missile defense that was later fielded as the Patriot missile system. He also specialized in the employment of tactical nuclear weapons and was assigned as an Inspector General for technical inspections of nuclear delivery units in Europe. He served with Air Defense Artillery missile units in defense of continental United States and he commanded a nuclear armed air defense missile battalion in defense of Okinawa during the Vietnam War.
While on the US Army General Staff he served with the Chief of Research and Development. He was the Army Program Manager for the development of high energy lasers. During his army career he was awarded the Legion of Merit 3 times for exceptional meritorious service. He retired from Active duty as a Colonel in 1973 while serving as Professor of Military Science at Seattle University.
Po then joined the Boeing Aerospace Company as an Engineering Manager. He worked on low altitude air defense system for the US Army, a high-altitude unmanned surveillance aircraft for the US Air Force, a free flight rocket system for the US Army Artillery, and specially equipped jet aircraft for the US Navy communications with the Trident submarine fleet. He retired from the Boeing Company in 1985 and started an engineering consulting company that specialized in anti-submarine warfare.
Po was also a Coast Guard licensed Merchant Marine Master and active in cruising the PNW waters with Patty on their Cruise-a-Home. He was also a licensed and active amateur radio operator and served as commodore for the Houseboat Yacht Club. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, skeet shooting, boating, gardening and just about anything outdoors.
Po and Patty owned a tree farm on Guemes Island for 26 years and were active Forestry Stewards. Po and Patty were also long-time members of Holy Family Catholic Church in Kirkland.
Po's intriguing personality, great sense of humor, and always the "go to guy" for many friends and neighbors brought many very special people into his life. His thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity were always most notable."
Po joined Queen City in 1980 and was on the Yachting Facilities Committee for several years and chaired the committee before he was elected to the Board of Trustees, serving in the mid '90s. He and Patty loved to cruise their beautiful 43' Cruise-A-Home, "Sugar Plum" up into the San Juans, Gulf islands, Desolation Sound and to the Broughtons.
He is survived by his daughter, Lisa, and her husband, Kerry; his son, Brian, and his wife Toni; his granddaughter Chelsea and her husband, Calvin, and granddaughter, Katelyn.
Po and Patty were buried together with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery on May 17, 2024.

FLORIAN OCTAVE CORNAY

Service

KOREA

VIETNAM

WORLD WAR II

LEGION OF MERIT

US ARMY,

COL

Resting Place

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

undefined

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us