Jim Cunningham

James William Cunningham died peacefully in his home on Nov. 1st, 2023 with his family by his side.  

He was born on June 7th, 1945, son of the late William and Mary Lucille Cunningham. He is survived by his wonderful wife of 52 years, Gloria Cunningham, his three loving daughters, Laura Cunningham (Tad), Catherine Adams (Mike) and Cheryl Adams (Zane), and his grandchildren, Julia (17), McKenna (15), Alyssa (15), Cora (13), James (13), Matt (12), Michael (11), Dylan (11), William (9) and Tad’s three sons, Gannon (20), Gage (18) and Gibson (15).   He is also survived by his brother Dennis (Ellen), numerous nieces, nephews, brother- and sisters-in-law and extended family and friends.  

Jim grew up in Detroit and attended St. Mary’s of Redford High School. On a blind date back in 1962, Jim met his future wife Gloria. After meeting Jim, a young Gloria wrote in her diary “Jim is so cool”.  

Jim was cool.  He joined the Navy after high school and served honorably in Vietnam, returning to complete his degree at Eastern Michigan University. Upon his return, he surprised Gloria at college the day before a French exam (which she failed), and they married in July of 1971. They had three daughters together and Jim always said that he was the luckiest man alive as he lived his life surrounded by beautiful women. Although when a few men joined the family, he embraced having sons around for golfing, enjoying a glass of whiskey together and sharing stories he would otherwise not tell his daughters.  

Raising their family in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Jim was an insurance salesman by day and home improvement enthusiast by night. There is not a room in their house that Jim hasn’t worked on at one time or another. A true family man, he treasured family trips, grandchildren’s events and having his whole family over for a BBQ on the deck, insisting that a well-done steak should be perfectly acceptable to everyone. 

Later in life, he was able to visit his ancestral home town in Ireland, see the beautiful waterfalls and cliffs of Yosemite and rolling hills of the Great Smoky Mountains.  He was also able to snorkel in the turquoise waters of Cozumel and finally cross the Mackinac Bridge for the first time after 70 years of living in Michigan.  And, of course, there were the family reunions at the Black River Lodge in Missouri.  Jim could always be found sitting in front of his cabin, playing cards with family, or just working on his tan by the pool - all the while with a smile on his face and something funny to say.   

He also loved crossword puzzles, euchre, trivia, history and entertaining his family with his perfectly timed wit and dry sense of humor. He was a constant optimist, always responding to the question “How are you, Jim?” with “Great! Couldn’t be better!”  He never gave up fighting for the life that he loved. 

He will be missed by all of those who loved him, but the stories and memories of him will be shared for many years to come and his gift of making his family and friends laugh will always be remembered and cherished.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Lung Association or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.