Mary McKown Cunningham

Mary McKown Cunningham passed away peacefully October 17, 2018. She was born in May 1926 in Rochester, NY. She received a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Mount Holyoke College, where she graduated with honors as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She married Bruce Cunningham on April 2, 1949 in Rochester, NY where they lived until 1961 when she and Bruce were transferred to Kingsport by Eastman Kodak. They have resided in Kingsport ever since.

She is predeceased by her husband and her brother, Henry (Hank) McKown. She is survived by her children and (spouses): Douglas (Syndra Scott) Cunningham, Pittsford NY; Priscilla (Fred) Sperling, Glencoe IL; and Carl (Anna Rogers) Cunningham, Raleigh NC; and eight grandchildren.

Her life revolved around family, volunteering, civic activities, music, and nature. In 1975, the voters of Kingsport selected her to be the first elected woman on the Kingsport Board of Aldermen. She served as President of the League of Women Voters of Kingsport-Sullivan County. Her caring was evident in over 40 years of service to Meals on Wheels of Kingsport. At MOW, she prepared meals, processed recipient applications, organized delivery routes, recruited and trained volunteers as well as delivering thousands of meals. She continued volunteering with Meals on Wheels into her late 80s. She served as a Girl Scout leader for seven years and many decades with the Boy Scouts of America. She has over 2,800 recorded hours working with the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club. She was a volunteer naturalist at Bays Mountain Park and served 21 years on the Bays Mountain Park Commission. For many years she played flute with her church and community orchestras.

She has received many life time honors for her years of public service. The Sequoyah Council, BSA awarded her a "Silver Beaver" for her contributions to Scouting and the community. The Nashville Titans selected her for the statewide "Community Quarterback Award" for her 30 years of Meals on Wheels activities. Kingsport Mayor John Clark declared March 3, 2016 "Mary Cunningham Day". The Junior League of Kingsport named her one of the top 100 women who made an impact on Kingsport's first 100 years.

Mary spent her summers at her home on Canandaigua Lake in New York State and for many years traveled worldwide.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either: Meals on Wheels of Kingsport, PO Box 3346, Kingsport, TN 37664 or Bays Mountain Park Association, 853 Bays Mountain Park Rd, Kingsport, TN 37660.

She will be remembered at a Celebration of Life ceremony at First Broad Street United Methodist Church on Nov. 4 at 2:00pm with Dr. Wm. Randall Frye officiating. Family members will greet friends in the reception hall immediately after the ceremony. Interment will be later at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY.