Oley Cunningham Obituary

Oley L. Cunningham, 87, of Palmer Twp. passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 9, 2016, surrounded by family at St. Luke's Hospice House. Born February 13, 1928 in Charleston, WV, he was a son of the late Dennis and Mabel (Lynch) Cunningham. He married the former Marian Adams on April 9, 1955 in Avon, NY. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in August with family at Lake George, NY, a very special place rich in family memories. He was an Electrical Engineer by trade, retiring from ITT in 1993. His passions were his family, photography, geology, tennis and the great outdoors. He was a child magnet, able to settle even the most upset grandchild with his calming presence. He focused his photography on nature, believing nothing or no one should stand in the way of a great view. Through pictures he captured the world, documenting all of his travels with family and friends. Even in his eighties, he looked forward to his weekly tennis matches and putting his killer slice to use. He was a gentle soul but fiercely competitive on the tennis court. He could build or fix anything, was up for any challenge, and always willing to lend a helping hand. He is survived by his wife: Marian Cunningham; their three daughters: Carol McKennan and husband Andy of Fort Collins, CO, Meg Yohe of Lancaster, PA and Amy Phillips and husband Mike of Palmer Twp., PA; five grandchildren: Victoria Arntsen, Abby McKennan, Ben Yohe, Kara Phillips, and Michael Phillips; two brothers: Robert Cunningham of St. Albans, WV and Dennis Cunningham of Senaca, SC. A visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Friday, January 15 at the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton Street, Easton, PA. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Luke's Hospice, c/o Development Office, 801 Ostrum St., Bethlehem, PA 18015 or a charity of one's choice. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

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Published by The Express Times from Jan. 10 to Jan. 11, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Oley Cunningham

4 Entries

Sandy Longenbach

April 15, 2024

Although this comes late my condolences are still offered to Oley's family. I have moved out of state and was thinking of a funny story we had between us and looked him up on line and seen he had passed.
I worked with Oley at ITT and one night the northern lights were quite visible in my area. This was quite late for I was up waiting for my son to come in with his buddies from a night out. The sight of the sky was something to see, knowing Oley was probably already in bed I was wondering if I should look up his number and call him...Oh, I thought, his wife would kill me. So the next day I told him and he said, "You should have called me!" It was something he has never seen and we both knew how rare it was to be seen in our area. I told him next time I'd know better. I also would buy pies his wife would sell for a fund raiser with the school she worked for. Something that had to be done on the sly for the rules at where we worked about fraternizing. This I learned the hard way when I brought him some of my stuffed peppers at lunch time and was called on the carpet for it. My husband laughed and asked me if he ate them. I said of course..Olie was my favorite person at ITT, what a character he was..Yes, very lively and quick. I will always remember him..What a legacy he has left us. Will see you in heaven my friend...

January 18, 2016

My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
May God grant you peace, love and comfort through this most difficult time.

Patricia Hunter ( Easton, Pa)

Sand Island Seniors Tennis Group

John Grason

January 14, 2016

As a frequent "victim" of Oley's "killer slice" in tennis over the past dozen years, and a current member of his Contract tennis group at Northwood Tennis Club, I offer my sincere condolences to Marian and the rest of the family. Here's a photo of the summer tennis group at Sand Island. Oley is the one with the blue shirt.

Jaime Arnts

January 10, 2016

My thoughts are with the Phillips family, and the entire family of Mr. Cunningham. A man's legacy lives on through his family and it is obvious that his joy of life has been passed along to his children and grandchildren. As you look back on the memories that you share with him, may they help you to heal.

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