Vern Cunningham was born Aug 19, 1932 on his grandparent's farm in Ida County to James & Ramona (Schlinz) Cunningham.   Vernon lived on the farm and attended country school with his Aunts and Uncles, until 1939 when he moved to Cherokee with his parents.  Even after moving to town, he still spent his summers and harvest seasons on the farm helping his Grandpa Schlinz and cherishing his time in the country.   He worked several jobs around town as a kid.  His favorite was fixing radios for the Cherokee Radio Shop.  He had a talent for taking things apart and putting them back together better than they were before! He attended Cherokee schools until he enlisted in the US Navy on May 20, 1952.  He always joked that as the eldest, he was forced to leave home to make room for the 6 ^th and final Cunningham boy born that year!

Vernon did his basic training and Electricians training at San Diego Naval Training Center until early 1953, when he was assigned to the US 6 ^th Fleet at Norfolk, VA. He boarded the USS Greenwich Bay for a short time.  His final ship assignment was the USS Coral Sea CVA-43, where he remained until 1956.  During his time on the USS Coral Sea they made three tours in and around the Mediterranean Sea, in an effort to fight the Cold War threat to our country.  He had many good memories of his time on shore leave in places like Turkey, Greece and Italy, with his crazy pal Larry.

Vernon finished his active duty in May 1956, receiving an Honorable Discharge. He remained in the Naval Reserves for four more years of duty.

Upon discharge, he settled in the College Park, MD area where he met his wife Mary. They had two sons, Vernon Jr. and James Charles.

When his marriage ended in 1961, he returned to Cherokee with the intention of being a hog farmer near the old family homestead. Instead he ended up working for IPS for a time, doing some construction with Grundman Hicks, and finally becoming a lineman for the Cherokee County REC.  He remained at the REC as the Line Superintendent until his retirement in 1993.

After returning to Cherokee he met a lovely young lady named Sherryl Leonard at The Jungle Room. They were married May 12, 1962, made their home in Cherokee and had three kids.

Vern was well known as a very talented craftsman, with amazing woodworking skills. He could build a home from the ground up, foundation to framing, wiring and plumbing, he could do it all, and usually did.  When working with Vern, you had to remember that there were only two ways to do things.  Vern's way and the wrong way.

Over the years he dabbled in many different hobbies and activities. He was instrumental in acquiring and establishing the Little Sioux Wildlife Area with his good friend Jeep Dorr. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, shooting and rendezvousing there, and for many years served as a Secretary/Treasurer.  When they needed more room to hunt and fish, the guys would head to Canada or Wyoming for some big game.   He could also be found hanging around Quinn's Gas Station with Gayle and Kenny, playing with engines and swapping stories.  They had a snowmobile racing team, The Cherokee Chiefs, which brought home trophies from around the Midwest.   He was just as good with a motorcycle engine as he was with the snowmobiles and was frequently found putting bikes together at Bob's Suzuki.   You might also find him bowling for the Quinn's team, playing cards after hours at Dorr's Sporting Goods, or sipping a Coke at Mallory's with the guys.

He was also a very avid golfer and active member of the Cherokee Country Club for over 40 years. His foursome, which included Jim Clabaugh, Hank Hayes and Larry Carlson, was known to hit the road and try out other courses in exotic places like Minnesota and South Carolina.  It didn't help their scores, but they kept going anyway.

In the later years he bought and fixed up a 1947 Farmall H Tractor that he enjoyed riding in parades and events with friends like Conley Anderson.   And going to coffee.  His coffee group was very, very important to him and he looked forward to it every day.   He wasn't able to attend coffee these last few months and he missed his friends like Lynn Schwier, Dick Bierman, Darrell Nelson and George Brewer.

Vern loved his community and enjoyed being active in many ways, including serving on the City Council and helping seasonally at the Tax Assessor's Office.

Vern was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 51 years, Sherryl, and one son, James Charles Cunningham.

He is survived by his four children, Vernon Jr., Annapolis, MD; Jeff, New Orleans, LA; Craig, KC, MO; Elizabeth (Kurt) Chausse, Cherokee, IA; 5 grandchildren, Dylan and Dallas Cunningham, Iowa City, IA;  Elijah Chausse (Annie), Santa Cruz, CA; Madison Chausse, Ft. Collins, CO; Quinn Cunningham, Annapolis, MD; and 1 great granddaughter, Quinn Bene Chausse, Santa Cruz, CA.   Five brothers, Roger (Deane) Cunningham, Yorba Linda, CA; Charles (Carol) Cunningham, Cedar Rapids, IA; Doug (Barb) Cunningham, Urbandale, IA; Gary (Ken) Cunningham, Omaha, and Mark Cunningham, Omaha.  And two sister in laws, Becky Leonard, Cherokee; Taffee Henderson, Denver, CO.  Also, many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Friday, November 10 ^th , at 11 a.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Full military rites will be performed at the funeral home. Private family burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery at a later time. Following the service there will be lunch at the Cherokee Country Club.  There will be no visitation. The family suggests that memorials be made to The Little Sioux Wildlife Association.