CUNNINGHAM WALTER R

CW2 Walter "Walt" R. Cunningham was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 04/07/2013 at the age of 74.5 from Pulmonary fibrosis
Mulberry, KS
Flight Class 69-15
Date of Birth 09/30/1938
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with A/7/1 CAV in 69-70
Call sign in Vietnam APACHE 8
This information was provided by Daniele Cunningham (daughter-in-law)

More detail on this person: Walter R. Cunningham, 74, of Where Ever I Parked My RV, USA, launched his next adventure from Joplin, Mo. Pulmonary fibrosis took him to the Undiscovered Country at 5:47 am, Sunday, April 7, 2013. He left early because he disliked burning daylight almost as much as he disliked people who wouldn't hang up the phone to drive. He was a student of the open road, on his motorcycle or in his RV; he was student of the off-road in his jeep, on foot, or by his preferred method: piloting a cobra helicopter. Once Walt learned the trick of mowing the tops of trees with the rotors to make a hole in which to evacuate troops in Vietnam, there was no stopping him from making helicopters do things they were never supposed to do. Walt traveled the globe before retiring from the US Army. He continued to support his love of looking over the next hill as a master carpenter and master millwright, building things and working nuclear power plant outages all over the country. Walt leaves behind the only thing he loved more than flying: his family. He is survived by his daughter, Tawnya Swafford, who inherited his determination and love of woodworking, his son, Walter Jr., who inherited his love of arriving early and preference for building things. He is preceded by his son, Steven, who inherited his stubbornness and ability to figure out if it was standard, metric, or whitworth in a glance. He is also survived by his sisters, Doris Van Arsdale and Wilma "Micki" Spencer, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the many friends and family whose lives he enriched with his knowledge, wit, and ingenuous handyman skills. A graveside service will be held at 11 am, Saturday, April 20 at the Gridley Cemetery in Gridley, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, condolences may be sent to the family at 105 S. Elm St., Mulberry, KS, 66756.

Burial information: Gridley Cemetery, Gridley, KS

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


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