Jennifer Hartley (Grattan) Corner, age 79, passed away on November 11, 2021, finally released from the confines of Alzheimer’s disease. She was the wife of Alan Corner, they shared 53 years together.
She was born in Washington, D.C. on May 31, 1942, to esteemed writer C. Hartley Grattan and Marjorie Grattan. She had fond memories of growing up in the small town of Katonah, New York alongside her twin sister Jacqueline, older sister Rosalind and beloved younger brother John. She attended Wilson College and graduated in the early 1960’s. Jennifer then working briefly at the Yale library before traveling across the Atlantic to Sierra Leone as a Peace Corps volunteer where she made lifelong friends, had many memorable experiences, and tried her best as a small, young woman to teach a class of grown men. It was here where she first met Alan Corner, who she would marry a few years later in San Francisco. They soon moved to Washington State, living in Spokane and Seattle before Bainbridge Island where she lived for over 40 years.
She will always be remembered for her kindness, sense of humor and creative ways of going about life. She was deeply moved by music, especially the opera of Luciano Pavarotti. She cared for many cats in her time and loved birds, to watch them and learn about them. She wasn’t afraid to talk about religion or politics. She coined the exclamatory phrase “Rats, bats, and little fishes!”
One of the greatest joys in life were children. Over the years she raised her own three children, fostered newborns, babysat for many families, and spent the last 20 years of her life playing with her four grandchildren. She never lost the ability to play, and that coupled with her spirit of love and caring made her an extraordinary mother and grandmother.
She is survived by her twin sister Jacqueline Snitkin, older sister Rosalind VonAu, husband Alan Corner, son Andrew, daughter Sarah, son-in-law Brian, son Benjamin, daughter-in-law Lisa and grandchildren Emily, Brandon, Henry, and Abby who will always know her as “Guy-Guy.”
In lieu of a celebration of life, please consider donating to Amara, an agency committed to positive long term outcomes for children and families. 5907 Martin Luther King Jr Way S Seattle, WA 98118 or at www.amarafamily.org/donate. Please include “Jennifer Corner” in the “In Memory of” section online.
She will be dearly missed but reminded us that life is everlasting.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island.
