Ralph B. Cunningham

Feb 24, 1922 - Mar 8, 2009

SOUTH BEND - Ralph B. Cunningham, 87, passed away at 6:50 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, 2009, in the Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on February 24, 1922, in Dubuque, Iowa, to the late James M. and Evelyn (Haun) Cunningham. He was the fourth of six children, Lorraine (Stanley) Stemnock, Donald Cunningham, Dorothy (Leonard) Makowski, Glenn Cunningham and Lois (Burt) Pustay, all of whom preceded him in death.

Ralph graduated from Riley High School and served in the Army's 24th Infantry in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

On June 29, 1946, he married Joan R. Baker, who survives. Their long loving marriage brought them four children, Bob (Mary Rast) Cunningham of Maryville, IL, the late Debbie (Tim) Hurley, Janice (Lyle West) Smith of South Bend and Jim Cunningham of South Bend. He is survived by six grandchildren, Doug Cunningham of Henrietta, NY, Dave Cunningham of Reno NV, Timm Hurley of South Bend, Elton Hurley of South Bend, Cammi (Mike) Lewis of Mishawaka and Jaci (Yami) Smith-Malindima of South Bend.

He enjoyed camping and boating with his family. Later, his main hobby was spoiling his grandchildren and their families - especially when he could buy them candy and share it with them. Ralph also took pride in and enjoyed watching his great-grandchildren as they grew. They are Chris and Makinzie Anderson of Granger, Airic and Joshua Hurley of Bristol, Alyssa and Zachary Lewis of Mishawaka. One great- grandson, Dominic Lewis, preceded him in death. Until the closing of the Studebaker production plant, he was a driver for Arco Auto Carriers. After that he drove for Weyerhaeuser Company. During his time at Weyerhaeuser he was awarded the National Safety Council's Two Million Mile Safe Driving Award for surpassing two million miles without an accident of any kind. After retiring from Weyerhaeuser, he later worked at Twixwood Nurseries. In his heyday Ralph was a one-man GPS who could tell you not only where an address was but also how to get there. He will be missed by his family and friends and their conversations will be much shorter.

Sources: Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com

02/19/2026 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34680453/ralph_b-cunningham