404 Sherman St., Watertown, NY 13601 / 315-788-6180
188 W. Broadway St., Cape Vincent, NY 13618 / 315-654-2681
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Bernadette M. Cunningham
Bernadette M. Cunningham
A funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the Ives Hill Retirement Community, 1200 Jewell Drive, officiated by Rev. Donald A. Robinson, pastor, St. Patrick's Church, with the family receiving guests from 1 to 2 p.m. before the service.
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Bernadette M. Cunningham, 90, of 1200 Jewell Dr., died, Friday, Jan. 8, at Samaritan Medical Center.
Born Aug. 2, 1919, in Trumbull, Conn., the daughter of Francis Henry and Cecilia Louise McGrath Mullins, she graduated from Harding High School at the age of 15 and then went on to earn her Bachelors in Education from Danbury Teachers College, which is now Western Connecticut State University, in Danbury, Conn., In 1972, she received a Master of Science in Education from Adelphi University.
She fulfilled her dream of being an educator by teaching reading and specializing in diagnosing reading disorders at the Franklin Square School District on Long Island, until she retired in 1981. Even after retirement, she continued tutoring in her home until well in to her 80s.
Bernie married Robert A. Cunningham, Sr. in 1941 and shared 49 years with him until he passed away in 1990. They raised their family in Garden City, N.Y., where Robert taught at Garden City High School. They retired to East Hampton, NY. In 2002, she moved to Watertown, NY to be near her sons.
After retirement Bernie led a very active life in East Hampton, NY. As a member of the Ladies Village Improvement Society she spent many hours working at the L.V.I.S. House thrift shop, helping to maintain and improve the village’s ponds, greens, parks and trees. She was also an active member of Most Holy Trinity church.
Once she settled at Ives Hill Retirement Community, she enjoyed many community activities from field trips to playing bingo. She was an attending member of numerous committees at Ives Hill and a communicant at Saint Patrick’s Church.
She is survived by her sons, Robert A. Cunningham Jr., Dexter, and Christopher Cunningham, Watertown; two granddaughters, Kathryn Cunningham LaCoille and Sarah Cunningham, both of Fitzwilliam, N.H.; a sister, Grace Mandanici, Bridgeport, Conn., and several nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her infant daughter, Robin, a sister, Cecilia, a brother, Vincent, and a grandson, Robert A. Cunningham III.
Donations in lieu of flowers to Hospice of Jefferson County, Watertown.