James David "Jim" Cunningham

1952 - 2025

James "Jim" David Cunningham

March 1, 1952 - May 27, 2025

James "Jim" or "JD" Cunningham was born on March 1, 1952, in Newport News, Virginia, to James Robert and Ethel Widler Cunningham. As the son of a U.S. Army officer, Jim spent his formative years living abroad in Austria and Japan, as well as in various cities across the United States, before finally settling in El Paso, Texas, where he would come to consider home, in 1965.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served honorably in Vietnam from 1971 through the end of 1972. Following his military service, he pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Education. In 1984, he married Debra DeLaney, and together they raised their family in Wichita Falls, Texas, where Jim later obtained a Master's degree in Psychology from Midwestern State University.

Jim devoted many years to the field of psychiatry before transitioning into public education as a teacher and later a school counselor, a role in which he found great purpose. While his uncanny ability to recall student ID numbers from memory was impressive, it was his deep capacity to make each student feel seen and valued that defined his impact. Former students often stayed in touch with "Mr. Cunningham" well into adulthood, though many of the lives he touched will remain quietly undocumented, just as he preferred.

Known for his exceptional memory, boundless energy, and unwavering instinct to care for others before himself, Jim embodied a quiet yet powerful ethos of selflessness. That selflessness seeped into every part of his life. He never asked for gifts, only for a simple song, recorded by his wife, daughter, or grandchildren. And if someone insisted, he would request: "Do some good for someone else." That, more than anything, is the legacy he would want to leave behind.

After retiring to Twin Falls, Idaho in 2021, he spent his days writing (publishing his first book, with all proceeds donated to St. Jude's), exploring the region in his beloved "Subie", and hiking the many nearby trails.

Perhaps nothing captures Jim's indomitable spirit better than a moment from his last year: after completing his fourth round of chemotherapy, he embarked on an off-roading trip in the South Hills, got his car stuck, attempted to dig it out with his walking stick, and ultimately hitchhiked back to cell service to call for help. It was after this episode that his oldest granddaughter, Heidi, dubbed him "Icon", a title both affectionate and apt for someone so relentlessly alive, no matter the circumstances.

Even in his final days, Jim remained unmistakably himself. He wore his favorite blue hiking shoes in bed, a quiet symbol of the trails he still dreamed of walking. His nurses and doctors were frequently struck by the depth of his medical knowledge, often consulting with him almost as a colleague; a testament to both his curiosity and his enduring will to stay informed and engaged.

Jim is survived by his wife, Debbie DeLaney Cunningham; their daughter and son, Caitlin Boer (James) and Joel Cunningham; his siblings, Joanne H. Sweet, Clarann Cunningham, Susie Sigurdsson, and Steve Cunningham; and his cherished grandchildren, Jahkaia, Heidi, Kaede, Luka, Asher, and Amelia, each of whom he shared a uniquely special bond with.