Obituary of Joan M. (Frank) Cunningham

Joan Cunningham (née Frank), of Bradenton, Florida, and Spencerport, New York, died on March 15, 2023. She was 97.

She is predeceased by her husband, Leo, and their daughter, Mary. She is survived by her three sons, Daniel (MaryEllen), Robert (Donna), and James (Sue Grace, deceased); her grandchildren, Shawn (Laura), Bryan (Robin), Patrick (Lowe), Bridget (Vincent), and Kellan; ten great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and countless friends. 

Joan loved coffee and kuchen in the morning and frozen grapes after dinner. She cherished art and, like her father and older sister, was herself a gifted artist. Her pastel still-lifes and stained glass pieces covered the walls and windows of her home on Ogden Center Road, a special place of stability and love for her children and grandchildren. 

Her marriage to Leo - and the mutual affection that sustained it for five decades - will continue to inspire her family and remain a template for all that a loving partnership can be. Joan was a woman of abiding faith and a regular at daily mass (at St. John the Evangelist in Spencerport and later Saints Peter and Paul in Bradenton); she was especially devoted to Our Blessed Mother. Through Our Lady's intercession, we pray that Joan and Leo are, at long last, together again in Heaven.

In 97 years, Joan lived many lives. But no matter when you encountered her - as a den mother of a Cub Scout pack in the '50s, as a postal worker in the '80s, as a volunteer for the St. John's Religious Shoppe in the '90s - "Joanie" was always enthusiastic and energetic, devoted and devout. No matter the place or the decade, she was so loving ... and she was so loved.

Visitation for Joan will be Thursday, March 30th from 9-10:30 am at Walker Brothers Funeral Home, 15 West Ave., Spencerport. Her funeral mass will follow visitation at 11:00 am at St. John the Evangelist Church, 55 Martha St., Spencerport. Interment in St. John's Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joan's memory to The Father Wohlrab Fund, which supports the Catholic education of the children of St. John's parish, C/O St. John’s Church 55 Martha St., Spencerport, NY 14559.