This note is from Cory's proud aunt Judy Schneider, his mother's sister.

We lost our precious Cory this afternoon at 2:30. This morning at 2, he woke his mom in the hospital and told her he couldn't breathe and needed oxygen and asked her to hold his hand. He was placed on 100% oxygen but was having severe difficulty breathing. Jeri called me at 2:30 and Harry and I went to the hospital. When we arrived, he was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. My mother, Mamaw, arrived at the hospital at 5 with another of my sisters and, when Jeri told Cory Mamaw was there, he woke up for about 5 minutes. Mamaw had lived with Cory and his family for the first 20 years of Cory's life and he was very close to her. Obviously, Mamaw was thrilled.

At 8:30, when Dr. Hutson came to see him, he woke up again to tell Dr. Hutson that he was fine; just tired. Dr. Hutson authorized a morphine drip and said he would not send Cory home unless that's what his parents wanted. They agreed that the transport would be too traumatic and opted to keep him in the hospital. The decision was a wise one, as the nurses were authorized to give him as much pain medicine as he needed. Despite this, his breathing was extremely labored, and he gasped and cried out repeatedly. He was in obvious distress until midmorning when his breathing calmed and he relaxed. Dr. Hutson came in again this afternoon and told us that with his strong heart, he could live another day or two. Shortly after 2, our baby sister Cheri and I noticed that his breaths were coming more and more infrequently. We all gathered around his bed and he died peacefully.

During the day, more than 20 of his current and former coworkers came to see him and to reminisce about the memories of his pranks at work and how many lives he's touched. He hasn't been at work very much for several months, but some new employees even came because everyone said "Wait till you meet Cory! He's SUCH a wonderful person!"

Those of you who knew my dad may know that he was a master mimic, every bit as good as Rich Little. Cory had the same gift and could imitate everyone at work and in his family so convincingly and so comically that he kept everyone laughing.

His service will be either Saturday or Sunday at the church he grew up in and loved, St. Phillips United Methodist in Garland. His burial will be at College Mound United Methodist, the church in the country where all of my family grew up.

Please keep his parents and his brother and sister in your prayers. We know that Cory is finally cured of the cancer that he fought so bravely for 4 years. We know he's with his Lord and with his grandfather, Daddy Ralph.

Love,

Cory's Family