Bill Cunningham

William Cunningham, who always went by Bill, was born in 1928 in Union City, the son of the late Mose and Zula Cunningham. He grew up on a small family farm, the fourth child of five boys and two girls.
Sadly, he passed away on March 18, 2018, in Raleigh, N.C.
A private funeral service will be held on Friday in Raleigh.
Mitchell Funeral Home at Raleigh Memorial Park in Raleigh is in charge of arrangements.
He worked on the farm which included driving mules, driving a John Deere tractor and taking care of livestock and a small orchard. He also worked in his father’s auto shop using precision tooling equipment to repair engines during World War II.
He had an early interest in aviation, the Boy Scouts, short wave radio, writing and a love of football. He was on the track and football teams at Union City High School and joined the U.S. Marine Corps along with five of his friends after graduating in 1946. He served at the USMC Air Station at Cherry Point, N.C. working as a mechanic on the Vought F4U Corsair aircraft.
Afterward, he used the GI Bill to attend the Milwaukee (Wis.) School of Engineering. While in Milwaukee, he met Joy Gammelgard. They married in Union City and moved to Houston, Texas, so he could attend the University of Houston.
After that, he began working for IBM in Memphis in 1955. While working in Memphis, he introduced the FAA to the idea of using computers to track commercial aircraft.
At that time, the FAA used a board with model planes to approximate their expected positions. The FAA quickly incorporated the use of computers, which greatly contributed to airline safety.
He and Joy had two sons, Barry and Peter. He was a deacon at his church in Memphis and a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts.
In 1975, he transferred to Research Triangle Park in North Carolina to finish his career with IBM as a technical writer.
After retirement, he and Joy traveled to Europe a number of times, especially to Scotland and Norway. He spent much of his time researching family history.
He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, a group consisting of descendants of those who fought in the American Revolution.
His sons; daughter-in-law, Susan; and grandchildren, Eric, Lauren and Andrew will enjoy many fond memories of “Papa.”
He will be greatly missed by all of his family as he was a very beloved, kind and generous father and grandfather.
He is also survived by three brothers, Don Cunningham (Nina) of Union City, Dan Cunningham (Melinda) of Fresno, Calif., and Woody Cunningham (Jessie) of Washington, D.C.; and one sister, Sarah Cunningham of Union City.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Marshall Cunningham; and a sister, Doris Garrett.
Condolences may be sent to the family at the funeral home website: www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/raleigh-nc/william-cunningham-7794205.