Obituary of Frances Westfall Cunningham

A memorial gathering is planned for Frances Cunningham who died peacefully in Portland. A native of Iowa, Mrs. Cunningham moved to Oregon at age 19 where she later met and married Wesley N. Cunningham in 1940. They moved to Santa Cruz, California in 1959. She devoted most of her married life to raising her family and helping with her husband’s land surveying business. Upon Mr. Cunningham’s retirement in 1976, she returned to office work which she dearly enjoyed, working first for Ben Rocca Jr. & Assoc., then Trans-Occidental Life. Upon her retirement she then worked part-time another ten years for a Santa Cruz concern, Light Force. Her family was her life. However, the electronic age captured her interest, and gardening was a sustaining activity. Mrs. Cunningham enjoyed poetry and reading; she was also fascinated by American history and politics. She was an active member of her low vision support group. She is survived by her four children: Robert W. Cunningham (Bernie) of Mililani, Hawaii, John W. Cunningham (Linda) of Junction City, Oregon, Julie C. Newman (Lawrence) of Quincy, California, and Eunice Cunningham of Portland with whom she lived since 2007; grandsons John, Glen, Wesley, Robert and Beorn, and six great grandchildren . She was preceded in death by her husband in 1991 and granddaughter Alice (Ebony) in 2007. An open-house in her memory is scheduled at 1159 NE 113th Avenue, Portland, on Saturday, March 31 from 1:00 to 4:00. Gifts are preferred in Frances’ memory to Providence Hospice (payable to Providence Medical Foundation 4805 NE Glisan, Portland, OR 97213-2967), or Loaves and Fishes Centers, Inc., P.O. Box 19477, Portland, OR 97280-0477. A tribute website can be found at: www.ANewTradition.com. Arrangements by Crown – Portland.