CUNNINGHAM, John Raymond 1934-2018

CUNNINGHAM, SMITH

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 4/1/2018 at 09:25:00

October 28, 1934 - March 29, 2018

MASON CITY, IOWA - John Raymond Cunningham II, 83, of Mason City, Iowa, died peacefully on Thursday, March 29, 2018, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, in Mason City surrounded by his family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7, 2018, at Epiphany Parish-Holy Family Catholic Church, 714 N. Adams Ave., with the Rev. Austin Wilker, Celebrant.

Burial will be in St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Dougherty, Iowa.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 6th, at Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd St. NE, Mason City, where a Scriptural Wake service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the funeral Mass at the church on Saturday.

Memorials may be given to Epiphany Parish or Hospice of North Iowa in John's name.

John Raymond Cunningham, II, was born October 28, 1934 in on a farm in Scott Township, Floyd County, Dougherty, Iowa, the son of John R. and Margaret (Smith) Cunningham. He was the last surviving child of four siblings born into this family. He was baptized at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Dougherty, Iowa. John grew up in the rural areas east of Dougherty. He attended St. Patrick's Grade School and graduated from St. Patrick's High School, Dougherty, in 1952.

After graduation he farmed until 1957 at which time he moved with his family to Mason City and began working at the Mason City Public Library. He later attended and graduated from Hamilton Business College in 1961 while working at the library. He worked for Lane Brothers as a cashier and started to work in 1965 at the Chicago Northwestern Railroad Company for 20 years and the last position worked was Chief Clerk of Engineering.

John was an active member of Holy Family Catholic Church and was involved in the music ministry as an organist, song leader, and a member of the adult church choir. He started to volunteer at Holy Family recording the contributions and took over the book keeping on July 1, 1988.

Music was a big part of his life. He had a natural talent for playing piano, organ, and saxophone.

John served on the Boards of North Iowa Community Action and Kinney Pioneer Museum. He also served many years as the Director of the Chicago Northwestern Railroad Company Credit Union. He enjoyed volunteering at the Kinney Pioneer Museum.

John also was a historian known for his research and accounts of area communities, including Dougherty, Hanford and Rockwell's Sacred Heart Cemetery. John authored several books including Rock Solid: A History of Rock Falls, Rocky Hill 2005; A History of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa 2010; The History of Rockwell, Geneseo Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa 2011 and Roots and Connections to Newman Catholic School System-A History of Cerro Gordo County Catholic Schools 2013.

John also loved attending antique shows and auctions where he collected and refurbished beautiful antiques and clocks over the years.

John's family and friends were very special to him. He enjoyed many years of happy times attending/hosting family events, going out to dinner with friends and playing cards. He spent many hours on woodworking and gardening, enjoyed riding his bicycle, being in the outdoors, mowing his lawn, and was an animal lover, including his goat, chicken, geese, ducks, and feeding the wild deer. He was deeply devoted to his cat, Gizzy.

John is survived by his nieces, Barb Warner Dahm, Minnesota, Tammy Cunningham Brandt (Barry), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, DeeDee Warner Qualls, Arkansas, and Marilyn Cunningham Markwardt (Scott), Mason City; nephew, Roger Warner; great nieces, Mandy Wendel, Maggie Wendel (John); and Chanda Klenczar (Drew); great nephews, Christian Dahm, Nicholas Dahm, Aaron(Angela) Brandt, and Nathaniel (Amber) Wendel and Lance Qualls; great great nieces, Adylee Brandt and Shelby Wendel; great great nephews Avan Brandt and Dominic Benjamin; sister-in-law Kay Davis Cunningham; and very special friends Ron Weller and Lorraine Weller, Rock Falls, Iowa; many other extended relatives and friends; and his cat, Gizzy who made him smile every day.

John was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, James and Susan (Noss) Cunningham; maternal grandparents, Bernard and Ellen (Hanley) Smith; parents, John and Margaret (Smith) Cunningham; uncle Joseph B. Smith, William J. Smith, and John F. Smith; aunts, Marie, Beatrice, Veronica, and Rosie Smith and Aggie Miller, brothers, John R. Cunningham, I, and James R. Cunningham; sister, Romona R. Warner; brother-in-law, Bob Warner, and niece Deborah Warner Underdown Connor and nephews Ronny Warner, and Christopher Cunningham in February 2017; and great nephew, Jonathan Qualls.

John's family wishes to thank the nurses at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa and Hospice of North Iowa, who cared for him over the last six weeks.

Blessed be John's memory. He will be greatly missed by all, especially by his nieces who always knew him as their Uncle Johnny.

John, The Lord be with you.

Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd St. NE, Mason City. (641)423-2372. ColonialChapels.com

SOURCE: Mason City Globe Gazette, 1 APR 2018