FOREVER BLUE
Friends, the ‘badge brotherhood’ rally behind family of late Newtown officer
Sgt. Clinton Cunningham is surrounded by his fellow Newtown Township officers as he holds his Officer of the Year Award.
It was a Sunday off for Newtown Police Sgt. Clinton Cunningham, some welcome family time – moments that the late veteran law enforcement officer and his wife, Kelly, cherished the most.
Kelly and their children, daughters Kerrilyn, 10, and Devon, 9, and sons, C.J., 8, and Sean, 2, attended the 9 a.m. Mass at St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church on March 18, while dad caught up on some lost sleep from a recent night shift.
Afterward, Kelly and children returned to their cozy Cape Cod-style home to en- joy a light breakfast of cinnamon buns and fruit, along with Clinton.
Over coffee, Clinton mentioned to Kelly that he wanted to go to the gym at some point, but he didn’t want to miss out on C.J.’s baseball practice that afternoon. Given that his 12-hour work shifts limited his opportunities to work out, Kelly said, “I told him to go to the gym and I’d go to C.J’s practice with the kids.
“Besides,” Kelly said looking back, “his workouts only lasted about an hour.”
Not too long after breakfast that morning, the Cunninghams were joined by a young friend of Devon’s for a much anticipated play date. They made plans for a family dinner and afterward, maybe taking a walk around the neighborhood. Their plans for the day were very simple, just the way Clinton and Kelly liked it.
On his way to the Ellis Athletic Center in Newtown Square, Clinton dropped Kelly and the children off at a ball field a few blocks from their home. It was a nice day and the children all got a kick out of riding in the back of Clinton’s new pickup truck.
“If he was done first he would come by and pick us up. If not, we’d meet back at home. It was kind of left up in the air,” Kelly said. “When he pulled away in the truck, he put the window down and said, ‘Love you guys.’”
Those would be the last words Kelly and the children would hear from their dad and husband.
About the same time they were walking home from the field, a medical emergency involving Clinton had been unfolding at the gym. An ambulance was dispatched for a suspected cardiac arrest at 2:23 p.m.
“I think he was already gone by then,” Kelly said.
At Bryn Mawr Hospital, Kelly never left her husband’s side. She, along with Clinton’s parents, two older brothers and their families, and countless comrades in law enforcement, hoped for a miracle as the hours passed into Monday. But it wasn’t meant to be. Clinton Joseph Cunningham, 37, was pronounced dead on March 19 at Bryn Mawr Hospital from a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite the combined valiant efforts of gym patrons, emergency responders and teams of hospital professionals to save him, he never regained consciousness.
“He’ll be forever young,” Kelly said of her husband, whose innate goodness earned him many friends, on and off the job.
As an organ donor, Clinton’s compassion for others – a quality the 12-year police veteran attributed to his conservative Christian upbringing, according to notes he prepared going into the interview for the sergeant’s position – continued even in his death.
“My parents and older brothers … provided me with a framework to be the man I am today,” reads a portion of the notes, which Kelly recently found tucked away in her husband’s paperwork. “First and foremost, I am the proud hus-
band to my wife … the proud father of our four children,” reads another portion of his notes. “They are the best asset and make me who I am today.”
Son, brother, husband, father
In tribute to their badge brother, Newtown police officers escorted Cunningham’s body from the hospital to the medical examiner’s office to Videon Funeral Home. Brother Jeffrey Cunningham, a Marine Corps veteran who currently serves as a Philadelphia police officer, was with them as well.
“We were with Clint every step of the way,” his brother said.
“He was a great police officer but he was an ever better person,” said Newtown Police Chief Christopher Lunn soon after Clinton’s death. “He was the first officer I hired after I became chief … In the interview, he really set himself apart. We look for people who are humble, hungry and smart. He exemplified all three.”
At Clinton’s viewing at St. Anastasia Church, mourners waited as long as three hours to wind through the line to pay their respects, said Thomas Cunningham III, Clinton’s 68-year-old father. Formerly of Southwest Philadelphia and both retired from the Philadelphia school system, he and his wife of 45 years and Clinton’s mother, Suzanne, are now in the process of packing up their home in Venice, Fla., to return to the area to lend support to their daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
A longtime fan of Clint Eastwood, Thomas said it may have influenced their decision to name their last born.
When they named Clinton and his two older brothers, 42-year-old Thomas “Tommy” Cunningham IV of West Chester and 40-year-old Jeffrey of Philadelphia, their parents gave them all the middle name of Joseph, after the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and father of Jesus Christ. That Clinton died on Saint Joseph’s Day was not lost on his devoutly Catholic dad.
His parents described Clinton, who graduated from St. Clement Grade and West Catholic High schools, as an above average student with a decent ability to play any sport. His brothers remembered Clinton as having a lot of friends.
“Where Clint was is where his friends wanted to be,” Tom IV said.
The funeral Mass was celebrated by Kelly’s brother, the Rev. Gerard Olinger of Portland, Ore., who at happier times baptized the Cunningham children and their cousins.
Young Devon read from Romans scripture: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
There was a moment in church when Devon didn’t think she wanted to do the reading, but true to Cunningham form, she rose above her fear.
“Daddy would have wanted me to be brave,” she decided, and only asked that her mother stand with her on the altar.
The huge outpouring at the church, and at SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery where Clinton was laid to rest, is an image Jeffrey Cunningham described as overwhelming.
“I am very thankful for that, people came and thanked him,” the proud brother said.
Handsome caretaker
Surrounded by all four of her children in their home for the last three and a half years, Kelly was seated at the dining room table where she also home-schools Ker-
rilyn, Devon and C.J. All around are family photographs, and other mementos.
It was the afternoon of April 18, a month to the day since Clinton was stricken at the gym. It also marked a little more than a week before the April 28 fundraiser at the Springfield County Club, organized by a committee of fellow officers to both celebrate Clinton’s life and offer financial support to his family.
The oldest three Cunningham children had spent the morning on a field trip at the Media Post Office. It was snack time and young Sean was happy to be reunited with his siblings, not to mention the assorted gold fish crackers, chocolate chip cookies and mini muffins they gave him to eat, after getting mom’s permission.
The children’s exuberance was tempered by their petite mother’s unwavering calm.
For the first time since her husband’s death, Kelly spoke publicly about the great love she shared with a man who “got more handsome every year,” and the devastating loss.
“We were a real good team … We complemented each other,” she said. “He took pride in taking care of us … He would always tuck us in, even me.”
Kelly recalled how hard it was when the family pet, a shepherd/lab rescue named Lucky, died back in January at the age of 14. Now, she believes it helped to pave an understanding for the children, since they had yet to experience any great loss in their young lives.
She spoke with pride about Clinton’s recent accomplishments.
A week before his death, Clinton had received the township’s 2018 Walt Wolff Award for Officer of the Year. Due to be officially promoted to sergeant on April 2, he was posthumously bestowed the title, a move sought by Lunn because Cunningham had “earned” his stripes. Just one class shy of completing his program at Saint Joseph’s University, he was posthumously awarded the master’s degree in criminal justice that he had worked so hard for, Kelly said, noting he had accumulated a 4.0 grade point average.
“But no matter what he was doing, family life was No. 1 … He would do laundry. Even that he excelled at. He had perfect piles,” she said, smiling.
Looking back, she said their decision for her to home-school the children turned out to be one of the most profound blessings. Since their family schedule totally revolved around Clinton’s work, if he worked late, the children were allowed to stay up and spend special time with him. In the morning, they would just sleep in.
“If we didn’t homeschool, that wouldn’t have happened,” Kelly said. “It gave us a lot of flexibility.”
Schedules aside, Kelly said the family always shared a meal together, whether it was breakfast at noon or dinner at 4 p.m.
“Every day we would be around this table,” she said. “It was important to us.”
Badge 46
It was a deep mutual faith that helped to bring Kelly and Clinton together 14 years ago, and it’s her deep faith that will guide her as she and the children move forward, Kelly said.
In addition to their faith and other values, the couple also shared a passion for music and sports.
“I played basketball, he played everything,” said Kelly, a standout point guard during her years at Cardinal O’Hara High School and Gwynnedd Mercy College.
Upon meeting the former Kelly Olinger, Tom Cunningham III said it took all of about “five seconds” to know his son had met his perfect match.
Introduced by a mutual friend, the pair was quickly smitten.
“I just knew,” Kelly said. “He was a gentleman.”
At the time, Clinton was a young Philadelphia police officer and she was teaching kindergarten at Manoa Elementary School. They were engaged within two years, and married four months later, on April 7, 2006.
Kelly, who shared a similar family background, said she was thrilled to join Clinton’s “big, wonderful, closeknit family,” which included lots of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Apparently, Clinton was also a romantic.
At the end of their wedding reception at the Heritage Ballroom – the location of their first date - he dropped on both knees and burst into song, belting every lyric to “I Had the Time of My Life,” to his beautiful bride.
The children recently found their parents wedding video and watched it for the first time.
Kelly said she had no qualms about marrying a police officer. Tough when she needs to be, she has always considered herself more of a “glass full” than “glass empty” person.
Clinton began his career with the Philadelphia police force, assigned to the First District in South Philadelphia, where his grandfather, Thomas Cunningham Jr. served and his brother Jeffrey now serves. Former residents of Philadelphia, the young couple was excited about their move to Delaware County soon after Clinton joined the Newtown police department in June 2013, wearing Badge 46.
Typically very private, Kelly said it’s been hard letting down her guard, accepting help in Clinton’s absence. But the support she continues to receive, both in financial contributions and countless expressions of sympathy, has been nothing short of tremendous.
To date, a GoFundMe account has raised more than $177,000, exceeding a goal and continuing to grow daily, with the most recent $100 donation made Saturday morning. Last week, three people donated their babysitting earnings.
Heartfelt condolences to the family, as well as messages of thanks to the officer for his service, accompanied many of the donations.
Among Wednesday’s mail, which her sons happily delivered, Kelly pulled a number of cards. She said they continue to arrive daily.
“I feel as though because of the way he lived his life, his character, it’s almost him still taking care of us,” Kelly said. “I couldn’t be more grateful … to family, friends and even strangers.”
For Newtown Police Sgt. Daniel Dougherty, all anyone would have to do is spend a few minutes with Kelly and the children to know why the law enforcement community is rallying around them.
“Clint was a member of the largest fraternity the world has ever seen … all of his brother officers are stepping to the plate for him,” said Dougherty, both friend and neighbor to the Cunninghams.
The late lawman did not have a life insurance policy. While medical benefits would have been canceled upon his death, the Newtown Police Department has arranged for the Cunningham family to continue receiving medical care for one year.
“The purpose of this fund raiser is to lessen the financial impact incurred as a result of the loss of the family’s sole income source,” said Darby Borough Police Chief Robert Smythe, one of the many organizers of the benefit.
The event will feature raffle drawings and auctions, and music entertainment by “Former Strangers” and disc jockey Mikell Jones, an Aston police officer. Also appearing will be WIP Morning Show’s Joe Conklin.
Tickets, which are available in advance and at the door, are $40 each and include a buffet. There will be a cash bar.
Low key, private
When she looks back on that life-changing afternoon, Kelly said believes her husband didn’t suffer, and for that she is most grateful.
And if it had to happen, she’s grateful that Clinton went to the gym instead of the ball field, where the children would have seen their father collapse.
As it was, it was hard enough. Still, Kelly said she speaks openly to the children about their father’s death.
Two days prior to Clinton’s death, he was shooting baskets in the driveway with his children.
“He was in excellent shape, excellent health,” said Kelly, noting that her husband never exhibited and possible precursors to his fatal injury, like migraines or high blood pressure.
According to a Lunn, Newtown Patrolman John Edelbute was the first officer on the scene for a suspected cardiac arrest at the gym and immediately realized it was his off-duty comrade on the floor.
“People in the gym had started CPR, and responding officers took over,” recalled the chief, who was at home walking his dog when he got the initial word from Dougherty, the supervisor on duty.
It was shortly after the 2:23 p.m. dispatch when Edelbute arrived at the Cunningham home. Dougherty sent him there, but Edelbute found no one home.
“I asked if her van was
there and he said, ‘Yes,’ “recalled Dougherty.
Dougherty knew they couldn’t be far from home. He asked the officer to drive around and look for them. A second patrol car joined the search.
Kelly had no idea what to think when two patrol cars rolled up on them as they were walking home from the field. Her mind started racing. She remembers being concerned about the children, especially their young guest.
The children got into the car with Edelbute and were taken home, where Dougherty’s wife and other neighbors watched them until family members arrived.
Kelly got into the car with Officer Anthony Kyne – a protégé of Clinton’s who was only on the job about a week. With lights on and sirens blazing, it wasn’t long before they were at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
Kelly remembers feeling sorry for Kyne.
“I could tell he was upset,” she said.
It was Lunn and Newtown Detective John Newell who met Kelly outside and escorted her into the emergency room. Before long, she had the difficult task of contacting Clinton’s parents and siblings.
“Talk about a sledge hammer,” said Jeffrey, referring to his reaction to his brother’s mortal injury.
In Florida, Clinton’s parents scrambled for a flight. It was about 1 a.m. Monday when their plane landed in Trenton, N.J. Jeffrey was waiting at the airport, along with Newell. By then, tests had confirmed that his son was brain dead, the family patriarch said.
“We are just devastated. To know we are not going to see him again. It just breaks our hearts,” Cunningham III continued. ” He was our heart and soul, as Tom and Jeffrey are.”
Clinton spoke often to his parents, whether it was for advice or just to chat.
He ended his last phone call with his 67-year-old mother saying, “You’re a cutie, Suzie.”
His son loved his town and his job, and he also loved spending time at his parents’ home in Venice, Fla., which he called “Paradise,” his father said.
Their neighbors in Venice had grown to especially love Clinton’s children, whom they likened to the von Trapp family from “The Sound of Music,” because of their musical abilities.
“But his most favorite place was anywhere with Kelly,” the patriarch said.
While oldest brother Tom IV finds himself still hoping to “wake up from this bad dream,” he said the reality is slowly sinking in.
Last Wednesday night, as he was heading to the Flyers playoff game, he was really missing his younger brother and the texts he knew he would have been receiving from him throughout the night.
Growing up, he said sports and music were a common passion in the tight-knit family. As the siblings grew older and started their own families, they continued to enjoy talking about music and sports, vacationing, and just being together.
“Clint gave it his all,” Tom said. “My only regret is that he is gone. It’s a huge void now, forever. We will try to honor him by being there in any way we can for his wife and kids.”
Clinton was low-key, private, simple, but at the same time extraordinary, said Jeffrey, echoing his brother’s sentiment to take care of Clinton’s family.
“Thank you, Clint, for allowing us to come to know an extraordinary man, not only in work, but with friends, and most important, family,” Jeffrey said. “You always put family first above all. You did it right.”
Daddy’s treasures
Since his death, Kelly said she’s heard so many stories from people who were impacted by her husband. Kerrilyn, especially, loves to hear the stories about her dad, whom she described as “a great storyteller.”
Kelly said her husband had a gift for making people feel special, especially when they needed it the most.
In recent days, reading scriptures and singing hymns bring her the most comfort, “And, of course, the faces of these four perfect children,” Kelly said.
“And we have one in heaven with daddy,” she added, referring to a child she miscarried between C.J. and Sean.
On her toughest days, Kelly turns to a verse from St. Francis de Sales that, in part, reads: “Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.”
There are a few things that the Cunningham children would like the world to know about their dad. And according to their dad’s notes, he wanted his interviewers at police headquarters to know a little about them as well.
“He’s really funny,” Kerrilyn said of her dad.
She is the Cunningham couple’s “independent and fearless” first-born child, according to dad.
“He’s really strong and he’s the best dad ever,” said C.J. “I was his best friend.”
Clinton described his oldest son as athletic and very funny.
The night before her dad died, Devon spent some alone time with her dad watching TV. She especially remembered how he tucked some pillows around her.
“No matter where I was, if daddy was there, I felt so safe,” she said.
“Devon,” her father wrote, “is the kindest human being I have ever known.”
As for Sean, who is the spitting image of his dad, his contagious little grin spoke volumes, especially with a chocolate mustache.
“His personality would dominate this room,” his father boasted.
In addition to devoting all his time and all his talents to Newtown, Cunningham wrote that of all his “treasures” were here in the township as well.
(For tickets to the fund raiser, contact Folcroft Police Sgt. Chris Eiserman at 610-637-2424; Folcroft Police Officer Dan White at 610-633-9791; Ridley Township Police Officer Jerry Scanlan at 484-3900149; or Newtown Police Officer Dean Hodges at 610-724-0468.)