Thomas 'Ed' Cunningham

THOMAS EDWARD "ED" CUNNINGHAM

Hiawatha

Thomas Edward "Ed" Cunningham Jr., 88, of Hiawatha, died Friday, March 15, 2019, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, following a short illness. Funeral Mass: 10 a.m. Monday, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Hiawatha. Burial: Mount Calvary Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family on Monday at the church after 9 a.m.

Tom is survived by his wife, Louise of Hiawatha; his daughter, Theresa Flowers, and grandchildren, Kimberly and Zachary Flowers of Phoenix; his daughter, Carol (Brian) Babbitt of Marion and grandchildren, Jeff (Nancy) Chittick of Denver, Colo., and Stacey (Tom) Meade of Omaha, Neb.; his daughter, Eileen (Don) Wagner of Arlington, Texas, and grandchildren, Christen (Robby) Stroope of Arlington, Texas, and Nathan Wagner of El Paso, Texas; and his siblings, Mary Schmidt, Sue Kullander and Cathy (Thom) Rawson, all of Cedar Rapids, and John Robert (Mary Ann) Cunningham of Henderson, Nev.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Donald, Richard and Michael Cunningham; and his brothers-in-law, Bob Schmidt and Steve Kullander.

Thomas Edward was born on May 13, 1930, in Cedar Rapids, son of Thomas and Elsie Hansen Cunningham Sr. He graduated from St. Patrick High School and attended the University of Iowa. Tom received a Purple Heart while serving in the Army (1951-1953) during the Korean War. On May 16, 1953, he married Louise Usher at St. Patrick Catholic Church. Ed worked in purchasing management, retiring from Universal Engineering in 1992. He was a member of the Hiawatha American Legion Post 735, the VFW Post 788, St. Patrick Catholic Church and, most recently, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.

Tom was an avid Cubs, Vikings and Hawkeyes fan. He enjoyed driving for the Department of Veteran Affairs transportation network, volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul and keeping busy. Tom loved family times and will be missed by everyone who knew and loved him.

Instead of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church; the Olivet Neighborhood Mission; the St. Vincent de Paul Society; or the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy.