Cornelius Jay Gory

Cornelius Jay Gory was born October 8, 1959, in Los Angeles, California to Ella Mae and Tommy Lee Gory. He was the twelfth of fourteen children. He attended 74^th Street Elementary School, Horace Mann Junior High, and graduated from Crenshaw High in 1977.

Upon graduating from high school, Cornelius followed in his brother’s footsteps and pursued his career in cooking at LA Trade Tech. During his time at LA Trade Tech, he gained an understanding of the fundamentals of cooking. He began his career as a cook at Jolly Rogers and Josefina’s Restaurant. While he worked as a custodian for the LA Unified School District for a short period of time, he began to realize that his passion was cooking. He then ventured to Las Vegas to further enhance his craft and learned a variety of new techniques. After working at Palace Station, he moved on to work at California Pizza Kitchen, and concluded his career at the Golden Nugget. During his 35-year tenure at the Golden Nugget, Cornelius served as head chef and later retired in 2020.

Cornelius, also known as Scratch, was a man of many jokes and was the life of the party. As long as he was around, there was never a dull moment. If you were caught slipping, it was never a surprise to find him flirting in the corner with your girlfriend. He will be remembered for matching head to toe with extra crispy pants and his LA Dodger’s hat.  He always was down to enjoy a nice cold Miller High Life, a pack of Kools, and a good game of dominoes.  He also took pride and joy in the presentation of his cars and motorcycles. 

Cornelius was called to paradise on Tuesday March 21, 2023. One of his greatest legacies left behind is his daughter Jaykendra Gory, granddaughter Sydney Kelley, and grandson Zacari Collins. He is preceded in death by his lovely parents Tommy Lee and Ella Mae Gory. Brothers: Tommy Lee jr, Ronald, Donald, Michael, and Ralph Gory. Sisters: Deborah Banner and Brenda Lane. Sister in-law Jewel Gory. Nieces Sonya and Miesha Justice. Nephew Jessie McFadden.

Cornelius also leaves to cherish his memory Rosa Gory, Bobby Gory (Mashecia), Beverly Gory, Dennis Gory, Charles Gory (Missy), Ricky Gory (Chareou), sister-in-law Sarah Gory, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.