Daniel Cunningham

Dan Cunningham is walking (on two legs) and telling jokes again as his spirit has moved on to the open spaces he loved so much. Dan died at home on August 15, 2019, after battling cancer for four years with his family by his side. Dan had three “bests” in his life, his best dog Fritz, the best horse Joe, and his lifelong best friend. He loved nothing more than roaming the mountains, sitting in his pickup under a tree chatting with friends, pulling into a big shop drinking MGD, checking out the neighborhood home brew, and sitting on his deck catching-up with neighbors while watching the sunset. One of biggest blessings in his life is his grandson Maximilian Daniel McNeer. “Papa” enjoyed sharing his M&Ms and many adventures around the property with Max. Dan was born December 16, 1950 in Yakima, WA to Virgil and Margret Cunningham, and was the oldest of seven children. As a youngster he worked walking polo horses and then as a teenager he rounded up cows and fed buffalo for Charlie Gibson. He graduated from Naches High School in 1970 and married his high school sweetheart Carol Rennie on Sept 11, 1970. After high school he joined the Marines and served in the reserves for six years. In 1971 his daughter Kim was born and became the light of his life. As a young man he worked at Yakima Door Factory and then drove trucks for Taylor Logging. Dan and Carol moved to Prosser in 1977 and Dan began driving cement trucks for the Drollinger family at Valley Ready Mix, then Central Pre-Mix. During their time in Prosser they spent countless hours in the sports stands cheering on their daughter and the Mustangs. As empty nesters, Dan and Carol built a home outside of Sunnyside, WA and opened their hearts and home as they took over the guardianship of Aaron Goedhart, which brought them many adventures. Dan was preceded in death by his father Virgil and his stepfather Lorne House. He is survived by his wife of nearly 49 years Carol, his daughter Kim McNeer, son in-law Alex McNeer and grandson Max, his mother Margaret Cunningham, his siblings Karen (Ronnie) Pruitt, Christine (Frank) Jacobsen, Janet (Chris) Dahl, David (Vicki) Cunningham Shannon (Dwayne) Webster, Cathy (Mark) Blore and step-brother Les House. He is also survived by his sisters in-law Susan (Dennis) Lippincott, Mary (Bob) Rennie, and numerous nieces and nephews. If you knew Dan well, please enjoy an MGD in his honor as he moves on to his next journey. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Sarcoma Foundation of America (https://www.curesarcoma.org/donate/) or Heartlinks Hospice. Services will be held at Valley Hills Funeral Home in Sunnyside on Saturday August 24th at 1:00pm. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Daniel Cunningham, please visit our flower store.