PATRICIA CUNNINGHAM
1926-2018
Patricia Ann Sloan Cunningham, 91, of Houston, Texas passed away peacefully on March 8, 2018 in her home surrounded by family and with her beloved husband of 61 years, William J. Cunningham, holding her hand.
Patricia was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Herbert Sloan and Lauretta Tobin Sloan. Patricia lived in New York City attending Hunter College High School where her study of Latin and French sparked her lifelong love of languages and different cultures. She continued her education at Smith College and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in French and Spanish/Latin American Studies. She extended her studies in France at the Université de Lille earning her Master’s degree in French. Upon graduating she taught English at the Berlitz School and was a translator for a Spanish Import-Export firm in Madrid, Spain. Patricia returned to the United States to begin her career in government service. During her professional career she served with the Voice of America, with the U.S. Information Service as Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer in Lima, Peru, as Cultural Affairs Officer in Florence, Italy, and in Washington D.C. for the Department of State.
In December of 1955 while working in Washington, DC in the Exhibits Division helping to select art to be displayed in US Embassies abroad, she was invited to attend a Christmas party by a friend. At the party a young gentleman who also worked for the Department of State sat down next to her and struck up a very interesting conversation. Bill Cunningham asked her on a date that evening and by February of 1956 they were engaged. Bill and Patricia were married on July 14, 1956. Since the Department of State did not allow two Foreign Service Officers in the same family, Patricia resigned and they became a “two for one” couple. Moving several times for Mr. Cunningham’s career, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham lived in Taiwan, Chevy Chase, Maryland, Japan, Bethesda, Maryland and New York City. As a certified Secondary School Language Teacher, Mrs. Cunningham taught in public and private schools abroad and in Maryland and New York City.
Following Mr. Cunningham’s retirement from the Foreign Service in 1982, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham relocated with their two youngest children to Houston. Mrs. Cunningham was appointed Executive Director of l’Alliance Francaise de Houston. Later, she became a Fund Raiser for the March of Dimes and UNICEF. For fourteen years, Mrs. Cunningham was an adult literacy teacher and trainer of volunteers for the Houston READ Commission. Mrs. Cunningham was a volunteer with many local organizations, including the League of Women Voters, St. Anne’s Catholic Church and United Nations Association/Houston Chapter. In October 2017, the United Nations Association/ Houston Chapter awarded Mrs. Cunningham the Lifetime Achievement Award for her esteemed contributions to the international community in Houston.
Mrs. Cunningham is preceded in death by her parents, and sister Margaret Tobin Sloan, of Jackson, Mississippi. She is survived by her loving husband William Joseph Cunningham, formerly of Lancaster, California; her brother, Herbert Sloan Jr., of Lynchburg, Virginia; her five children, Anne (Ralph) Hedian of Cheverly, Maryland, Theresa (Padraig) Doolan of Riva, Maryland, Marie-Claire (Earl Rix) Cunningham of New York, NY, Peggy “Pegeen” Bush of Corinth, Texas, William (June) Cunningham, Jr. of Millersville, Maryland, three nieces, two nephews, eleven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.
The vigil will be held on Thursday, March 15 from 4-6pm at Earthman’s Bellaire at 4525 Bissonnet St., Bellaire, TX and a funeral Mass on Friday, March 16 at 10am at St. Anne Catholic Church at 2140 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX. A reception will follow the funeral Mass at St. Anne Catholic Church. Interment will take place at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland. Mrs. Cunningham will be remembered for her ability to see the best in others; inspiring them to fulfill their potential, as well as her vibrancy for life, and love of the arts. Mrs. Cunningham was recognized around town as Madame au chapeau. In honor of this distinctive style, ladies are encouraged to wear hats to the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Patricia Cunningham’s name to the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, St. Anne’s Guild, or the Houston Symphony.