James R. Cortner, 72, Warrensburg, Mo., a native of Osawatomie, died Thursday, June 13, 1991, at a hospital in Warrensburg.

He was born in Osawatomie on June 21, 1918, the son of Zan and Minnie Morrow Cortner.

He was married to Carolee Lyder at the farm home of her parents at rural Paola on Jan. 12, 1945. They made their home in Osawatomie, where Mr. Cortner workedfor the Missouri Pacific Railroad. They moved to Warrensburg 33 years ago.

Mr. Cortner owned the Campus Bookstore in Warrensburg until 1975. Later he was a safety engineer at Central Missouri State University, retiring in 1983.

He was a member or the First United Methodist Church of Warrensburg and its Methodist Men's Club. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, the Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite Bodies, all in Warrensburg.

He was an Army veteran of World War II and a member of the American Legion.

As hobbies he liked to fish and play golf until becoming disabled.

His parents and a sister, Helen Ewbank, preceded him in death.

Those surviving are his wife, Carolee Cortner of the home; a son, John R. Cortner of Olathe; a daughter, Jayne Bruno of Kansas City, Mo.; two brothers, Charles Cortner of Osawatomie, and Marle Cortner of Sunnyvale, Calif.; four sisters, Josephine Dickey, Mary Ricketts and Dorothy Heckart of Osawatomie, and Rita Faye Hayden of Enid, Okla.; and four grandchildren.

Cremation. Services were at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the church.

Memorials may be made to the church's building fund..