Surrounded by his loving family on the morning of March 17 , Thomas H. Cunningham, 85, took his last breath of earthly air and went on to breathe heavenly air in his eternal home with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Tom’s celebration service will be held at Faith Fellowship Church Marshfield, Wis., on Thursday March 26th at 11 a.m.. Visiting hours from 9:30-11 a.m. Lunch will be served afterwards.
Tom was born on Oct. 20, 1929 to Stephen M. and Hettie L. Cunningham in New Rumley Ohio. He attended Jewett High School and enjoyed playing basketball and football. In his off time he worked at a local dairy and drove one of the last horse drawn milk wagons in Ohio in 1947.
After high school Tom attended the University of Cincinnati for two years on a football scholarship. He then enlisted in the Air Force at the beginning of the Korean Conflict. He trained technical instructors for four years after which he returned to the University of Cincinnati to finish his degree in Business/Industrial Management. He also did graduate work in personnel at the University of Akron in Ohio and Cardinal Stritch College in Wisconsin.
Tom married Jacquelyn Weiser his high school sweet heart in Jewett, Ohio on March 13, 1954. Tom worked as an Industrial Engineer at Westinghouse in Columbus, Ohio, and Sears Roebuck in Chicago.
In 1973 Tom and his family moved to a farm near Pittsville, Wis., to start an adventure in raising veal calves which he did for seven years. He also began teaching at Midstate Technical College in 1975 and later held various positions there– Personnel Director and Marshfield Campus Director until his retirement in 1996. In his retirement he enjoyed being on the farm, making wood furniture for family and friends and biking on his recumbent bike with his wife on old railroad trails and back roads.
Tom is survived by his loving wife Jackie, three children and five grandchildren who have given him much joy. His children, Kim (Mike) Knuth, Duluth MN; Kathy (Tim) Wunsch, Schofield Wis.; Tom Cunningham, Albuquerque N.M.; His grandchildren Thomas (Ashton) Knuth, Thomson Ga.; Sarah (Alex) Primozich, Hastings Minn.; Stephen Knuth, Grand Forks N.D.; Aaron (Fiancee Kristi) Wunsch, Wausau Wis,; and Kaitlyn (Casey) Krohn, West Bend Wis,; And sister Jeanne Wilson, Charlotte N.C.;
He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters. Gwen Rickenbacher and Joyce (Dick) Geisert. Tom’s sense of humor and giving spirit will forever be remembered and cherished.
Those wishing to make a memorial gift may do so in Tom’s name to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Inc., White Plains, N.Y.,] or Faith Fellowship Church, Marshfield, Wis.
The Hansen-Schilling Funeral Home is assisting the family with funeral arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.hansenschillingfuneralhome.com for your convenience.