Cornelius P. "C.P." Chima

Cornelius P. "C.P." Chima


Our country lost another of it's "Greatest Generation" when Cornelius P. (C.P.) Chima passed away on July 30th after a brief illness but a very memorable 98 years on this earth.

C.P. was born in Newark, OH on February 7, 1918 to Peter and Mary Chima as the third of their six children; siblings, Mary, Helen, George, Nicholas and Virgil. The family moved to Akron shortly thereafter and settled in Firestone Park as part of a thriving Romanian-American community.

After graduating from Garfield High School and attending the University of Akron into his Junior year, he volunteered for the US Air Force in December 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. C.P. graduated from flight school in August 1942, and by September of that year was in England flying B-17 bombers on missions over Europe.

Over the next two and a half years, while C.P. was stationed in Europe serving his country in the Mighty Eighth Air Force, he flew more than 45 missions in B-17 bombers and P-47 fighters, flew with two of his brothers, survived several crash landings, and received 28 decorations including the Silver Star. He returned from the European theater as a Lt. Colonel but was recalled 1950 for two additional years' service where he was promoted to full Colonel.

Upon returning to Akron after his military service, C.P. met Cornelia (Neal) Stefia, from Detroit, MI. They were married on May 29, 1955. They started a family, raising their children Lissa, Craig and Derek. Married for 61 years, C.P. was a loving husband and father.

Over the next 60+ years, C.P. also made his mark in the local Akron business community by growing the family business (Chima Travel Agency) into one of the top regional travel agencies in the country, and also founded a number of other businesses along with serving on the Boards of many other prominent local companies. C.P. was especially proud of his work with, The ARC (For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities), the Summit County Board of Mental Retardation, and the Summit County Sheltered Workshop. C.P. was also a proud and active member at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in West Akron.

C.P. loved to travel with his family, play golf with his lifelong buddies (his typical Wednesday afternoon "board meeting"), and was a proud member of the Balcony Boys, an informal group of eclectic prominent local businessmen, scholars, and community leaders who met every Saturday morning to solve the world's problems (if only we had listened to them).

In his later years it was also very important for C.P. to give back to the community and University that he loved so much and his charitable contributions were considerable. And while his tenure at the University of Akron was interrupted by WWII, in 2012, he was granted an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University that meant so much to him.

A private family graveside service will take place at Rose Hill Burial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to The ARC (For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities), 1335 Dublin Rd Ste 100-A Columbus, OH 43215-7037.(Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)