Gordon Cunningham

Gordon Cunningham, age 87 of Holland, quietly passed away at home surrounded by his family on Saturday, January 6. He was born in Grand Rapids, educated at the University of Michigan (BA ’52; JD ’55) and has resided in Holland since 1956.

Gordon is the former City Attorney for the City of Holland (1956 – 1986), general counsel and chairman of the board of Ameribank (n/k/a Fifth Third Bank and f/k/a Ottawa Savings Bank), and a founding member of the law firm of Cunningham Dalman, PC. During his career, he helped Hope Church acquire and install its pipe organ and was instrumental in bringing the De Zwaan Windmill to Holland from the Netherlands. Gordon was also very active in the Holland Community Theater. In his spare time, he was a custom gunsmith, creating hunting rifles out of exotic woods and precision machining in the basement of his home.

Gordon was preceded in death by his parents, Homer and Fern Cunningham, both of his older sisters, Verda Cunningham Mennes and Shirley Cunningham Woodworth, and the mother of his four children, Marilyn Lookabill Cunningham. He is survived by his current wife of 21 years, Esther Klemm Cunningham, and all four of his children, Gary Cunningham (Marianne Sarazin), Julie Budden Bronsink, Kathleen Helder McLeod (Jonathon Helder), and Douglas Cunningham (Marianne Cunningham). He is also survived by nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

A visitation is scheduled for Gordon and the Cunningham Family on Thursday, January 11, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Dykstra Funeral Home Mulder Chapel located at 188 West 32nd Street, Holland, MI. A funeral service will be held on Friday, January 12, at 9:00 am at the Central Wesleyan Church (Chapel) located at 446 West 40th Street, Holland, MI.

Memorials may be given to either Hospice of Holland or the Central Wesleyan Church.