Photo No. 2756

Raleigh Everett Cunningham, 89, of Houston, Texas passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer in the morning on December 30, 2024.

Born on September 21, 1935, on a farm west of Kountze, Texas, where he was the youngest of three children and the only son of Everett Burton Cunningham and RE Cunningham. The family would eventually relocate to Beamont where he and his two older sisters, Charlotte Waldrop and Melva Jo Ennis would spend most of their adolescent lives.

Raleigh graduated from French High School in Beamont, Texas in 1953 and alongside several of his high school friends, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17. A proud Marine, Raleigh attended Air School in Jacksonville, Florida, and Airplane Mechanic School in Willington, Tennessee, before being deployed overseas in 1954. He served with distinction in the Marine Aircraft Group 12 at K-6 and K-3 Airfields in Korea during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1955.

In 1964, Raleigh continued his service to his country by joining the Navy Construction Battalion (CB22) Reserve, where he rose to the rank of First-Class Petty Officer Engineering Aid. He was honorably discharged in 1968.

In 1957, Raleigh married Gayle Kathryn Hamm in Beaumont, Texas, and together they raised three children in their home in the North end of Beaumont where the family would live for nearly 20 years. With family always at the center of their lives they would routinely spend the weekends visiting Raleigh's parents at the family farmhouse that Raleigh helped build in Warren, Texas. Here the children all developed many fond memories of roaming through the woods, hunting and fishing and spending time with their beloved Mamaw and Papaw. Thanksgiving was always a special time for their family as it was the one time of the year when all the Cunningham Clan would gather at the farm and celebrate. All three of his children would graduate from Raleigh's same high school and each graduated from Lamar University where he had pursued a degree in Mathematics by going to night school while he worked to support his family during the day.

Shortly after marrying Gayle, Raleigh began a long and successful career with Gulf States Utilities in Beaumont, Texas. Starting as part of a survey team working on the expanding electrical grid in the Golden Triangle area, he later transitioned to the drafting department and eventually would be promoted into the cutting-edge field of computer programming where he became a Systems Analyst. Raleigh played a key role in implementing and troubleshooting Gulf States' IBM mainframe systems creating efficiencies and cost savings across the organization. He retired after over 30 years of dedicated service, opting to leave as the company transitioned to Entergy Corporation in the early 90's.

Around the same time Raleigh and Gayle would divorce and a few years later he would meet and marry his second wife Kay Heller. They were active in their church, Redeemer Lutheran and Raleigh would become a member of the Southeast Texas El Mina Shriners Club and achieved the level of Master Mason and remained a member until his passing. Raleigh became a widower in 2014 after Kay passed away unexpectedly from a stroke but only after the couple would enjoy nearly two decades of traveling together across the country in their motor home and countless family gatherings visiting their children and grandchildren who were spread out across multiple cities and states.

In August 2017 at the age of 83, Raleigh faced one of life's greatest challenges when he lost his home and nearly all his belongings in the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Harvey in Beaumont. Despite the hardship, he persevered and relocated to Houston to be closer to his family and spent his remaining years surrounded by love and support.

Raleigh is preceded in death by his father Everett Burton Cunningham and mother RE Cunningham and his oldest sister Charlotte Waldrop.

He is survived by his older sister, Melva Jo Ennis, children Sherri Cunningham Perroni, and husband Louis, Bradley Cunningham and wife Karen, Tate Cunningham and wife Elionora, stepdaughters Julie Devlin and Dianna Wimberley, seven grandchildren - Maci Teasdale, Kathryn Perroni, Alexander Perroni, Marissa Cunningham, Elana Cunningham, Everett Cunningham, William Cunningham and four step-grandchildren - Jacob Devlin, Parker Devlin, Jessica Horton, Katlynn Garza along with several other extended family members and friends.

Raleigh will be remembered for his love and dedication to his family, sense of humor, his passion for helping anyone when they needed it, his dedication to his work, being a proud Marine and his unwavering loyalty to his country. He will be interred alongside his beloved Kay in the Cunningham Family Plot in the Warren Cemetery in Warren, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org