Michael J. Cunningham

Michael J. Cunningham, son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend to many, and a lifelong Philadelphian, died on May 25.

He was 79.

Mike fought a valiant battle against Alzheimer’s Disease at the end of his life, which eventually robbed him of his voice, but not his trademark smile. He passed in the company of his wife, Debbie and children, Colleen and Tim.

Of his many roles in his life, the one that transcended all his worlds was teacher.

It was not just his profession, it was a calling. He taught several levels of mathematics at two high schools for 44 school years.

The first was a 30-year career at his alma mater, St. Joseph’s Prepatory High School, better known as ‘The Prep.’ He was a department chair and supervisor, hired new teachers and served on several committees. For over 25 years, he also served as an assistant athletic director and equipment manager and coached the golf team for several seasons.

The school awarded him the 1992 Ignatian Award – the school’s highest honor. In 2000, he was able to hand his son Tim a diploma from The Prep, and a giant hug, at commencement that year.

In 2002, Mike began teaching at Devon Prepatory School, in Chester County, where he again taught several math courses and chaperoned numerous class trips. He retired after the 2015-2016 school year.

Mike was a natural teacher as well. Conversations with him were far from usual or routine. Sure, he could engage in small talk about the weather, but he could describe why it was raining.

He had an interest in and could, at great length, talk about film, music and several other interests, often with challenging questions and thought-provoking summaries.

Before he began as a classroom teacher, he spent two years with VISTA, Volunteers in Service to America, in Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1969 and 1970. There he organized programs that fought poverty and was a press liaison for the effort.

After that, Mike then spent another few years as a museum teacher and lecturer at the Franklin Institute and Science Museum in the city, where he educated the public and school field trips and took programs on the road to organizations in the greater Philly area. He did press and media work there as well, appearing on local television stations to tout the museum’s programs.

Mike was a 1965 graduate of The Prep and a graduate of St. Joseph’s College, now a university, where he earned a bachelor’s in psychology in 1969 and master’s degree there in 1989 in mathematics.

Mike married Debrah Henry in 1971 and they settled in the city’s Mount Airy neighborhood, where they still reside. The family vacationed at the Jersey Shore and took annual camping trips to places like Niagara Falls, the Finger Lakes, and Cape Cod. He arranged a memorable family trip to England, Scotland and Ireland in 2000 while his daughter studied abroad in Newcastle.

Mike was an avid fan of Philadelphia sports teams and especially relished the Eagles 2018 Super Bowl victory, a title he awaited along with the rest of the City of Brotherly Love.

For a decade, he was a Sunday season ticket holder for the Phillies, including the year of their latest championship, in 2008. Mike told the story of the Phils 1980 World Series win, and Tug McGraw’s celebration on the mound, with a joy that never waned.

After he stopped teaching in 2016, he spent a good portion of time looking after his grandkids, Aidan and Cailin, after school. He was by then known as Pops but again was able to share his teaching gifts.

Mike had a second act that began in the early 2000s as a follower of Alcoholics Anonymous. He did so with dedication and eventually became a leader and started a chapter at his longtime Catholic parish, Holy Cross in Mount Airy.

He’d attained over 24 years of sobriety.

His family is confident that again, in AA, Mike was a teacher at heart and able to help those in need.

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Mike was predeceased by his parents, James A. Cunningham, Sr. and Madeline (Volpe) and his brother James. A Cunningham, Jr. and his wife Margaret. He is survived by his wife Debrah, daughter Colleen Ruff and husband Todd Ruff, son Timothy and partner Pantee Suloff, grandchildren Aidan Ruff and Cailin Ruff, brother Paul Cunningham and many close family members.

Services will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 140 E Mt. Airy Ave in Philadelphia, on June 23. Visitation will begin at 10:00 followed by service at 11:00.

Mike’s family asks that in lieu of flowers to make donation in his name to the national organization or a local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or AA.