Rotary Club of Willoughby, OH, Honors Jack and Marlene Cornachio
Pictured: Jack and Marlene Cornachio, the parents of Willoughby Municipal Court Judge Marisa Cornachio, have lived in Willoughby for nearly 51 years. (Marah Morrison — The News-Herald)
Willoughby, OH – May 1, 2026 – The Rotary Club of Willoughby has honored Jack and Marlene Cornachio as the area’s Citizens of the Year during the club’s annual awards luncheon.
The awards luncheon took place on April 6 in Willoughby Hills at LaVera Party Center.
Willoughby Rotary Awards Committee Chairman Dale Fellows said it was special to honor the Cornachios as they are personal friends of his.
“Jack and Marlene have truly been partners in life and in the community for over 50 years,” he said.
Jack said when looking at the list of Citizens of the Year, it’s humbling to see that he and Marlene are even on it.
“We learned over the years, as we got more successful in business, the more you’re given, so much more is expected in life,” he said. “We tried to make sure that we passed it on.”
Marlene said she and Jack are overwhelmed with the award.
“There’s certainly more people in this room who deserve it more than us,” she said. “We have given a lot of time and money to the community — more than Jack knows. We’re lucky. We’ve lived in Willoughby for almost 51 years. It was a dream to live in Willoughby. Small community, kind people, our children were able to grow up in this community, so we are fortunate to be part of Willoughby.”
The Rotary Club of Willoughby has honored Jack and Marlene Cornachio as the area’s Citizens of the Year during the club’s annual awards luncheon. (Marah Morrison — The News-Herald)
Willoughby Mayor Robert Fiala said he has had the pleasure of working with Marlene years ago at what is now the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce.
“She was the president and I was a vice president soon to become the president,” he said. “At that time, the chamber was struggling. We were having trouble with membership, stability and Marlene took the courageous step forward to find a way to merge ourselves with the other western Lake County chambers. It showed extraordinary foresight, courage and capability to rally multiple groups of people together to come under one umbrella. The chamber you see today has to do with the start that Marlene did. She’s a doer. She gets things done.”
Jack is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who worked for real estate and property management companies while he and Marlene were raising their family. At that time, she saw a need for cleaning services and started Custom Cleaning and Maintenance more than 40 years ago. The company is now owned by and run by her son-in-law as he oversees a company of 85 employees.
Marlene has enjoyed retirement since the first of the year.
“Marlene will tell you how valuable Jack’s business experience and advice were to her success,” Fellows said. “Her personal touch of building relationships throughout the area, finding the right people, treating them well and always taking a professional approach to her business were the keys to her success.”
Fellows said the Cornachios’ community involvement began early with the Willoughby Junior Women’s Club, serving as an officer and then as president.
“It showed her just how important community organizations can be,” Fellows said. “Marlene became involved in the local Chamber of Commerce and was president when the west end chambers merged to form the successful Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce, who just recently was named the top Chamber of Commerce in Ohio.”
Jack’s professional business career soon took off with great success working for national real estate companies, overseeing operations of thousands of units throughout the country, Fellows said.
“Even with his travel and work schedule, Jack did find time to become involved over the years with various organizations,” he said.
Jack is currently the CEO of Midwest Realty Advisors.
As far as the couple’s philanthropy, it began early and continues in earnest today, Fellows said.
“Helping people in need has always been part of their lives,” he said. “Cleaning for a Reason is a national organization that Marlene embraced to clean houses for people battling cancers. During COVID, they serviced places that needed cleaning, but could not afford it.”
Original Source: https://www.news-herald.com/2026/04/08/rotary-club-of-willoughby-honors-citizens-civic-organization-of-the-year/
