StalledOut
MEMBER
Anchorage
Former longtime Alaskan Lynn W. Cunningham, 64, died Jan. 22, 2008, at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from complications of a brain hemorrhage suffered on Christmas Eve.
A memorial service is planned for mid-April in Anchorage. Friends and extended family are invited to pay respects and celebrate his life. Please send an e-mail with contact information to geminitoo@gci.net or mail your name and contact information to: Vicki Cunningham, 5429 Camelot Drive, Anchorage 99508. The family will contact everyone with details as soon as they are known. You may also leave a message at 1-907-229-7919.
Born April 14, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Lynn graduated from Kanab High School in 1961. Despite humble beginnings including living in a potato cellar during his high school years in Utah, over his lifetime Lynn owned five businesses; all but one were in Alaska. In the 1970s, he and his brother Pat owned Merrill Field Upholstery in Anchorage.
A true Alaskan at heart, Lynn first came to Alaska in 1963 for a year and in 1968 moved to Alaska, where he lived for 23 years. He moved briefly to Wyoming in the early 1990s and then to Arlington, Wash., where he established Cunningham Aircraft Covers, which he owned and operated over the past 13 years.
"At Cunningham Aircraft Covers, Lynn designed custom aircraft covers for planes ranging from small Cessnas to military jets," his family recalled. "His reputation for quality workmanship and design earned him multiple awards from trade publications such as Aviation Consumer. He was also known for his top-of-the-line custom boat tops.
"In 1978, Lynn moved to Wasilla, having purchased Hallea Lodge, a popular bar on the shore of Lake Lucille. Many good times and good friends were made during this era, when the Valley was the "wild west," as Lynn put it. As an aviation enthusiast, Lynn owned and piloted a T-Craft. In 1979 he married Vicki, the love of his life. A son, Jesse, and a daughter, Terra, were born in 1980 and 1981. While Lynn and Vicki ended their marriage in 2000, they remained close through the years. They got together in Las Vegas last October to attend a Jimmy Buffett concert, and she was at Lynn's bedside when he passed away.
"Lynn was a voracious reader, going through two to three books a week; he loved music, baseball games, playing guitar with friends, river rafting and carving beautiful soapstone pieces. Over the past 12 years, he appreciated his friends and home away from home at Paraiso's restaurant in Arlington. Most of all he loved his kids and was proud of each of them.
"Lynn will always be known to friends and family as a strong personality, someone who lived fearlessly, unafraid to stand up for his beliefs, no matter the consequences. Sometimes this got him into trouble but mostly it earned the respect and admiration of those close to him. Lynn had a classic renegade spirit that led to many amazing life experiences and stories. When he finished his service to his country as a U.S. Marine in his early 20s, Lynn hitchhiked from Utah to Alaska with a sign stating 'Alaska or I'll Kill Myself': This was an example of Lynn's unique sense of humor that stayed with him through the years. He was always full of odd but humorous sayings, causing his kids to shake their heads and smile, wondering where he came up with this stuff.
"The void created by his passing will be felt always by his family and those who loved him. Lynn will be forever missed as a dad, a grandfather, a friend and a husband."
Lynn leaves behind a son, Jesse Cunningham; daughter and son-in-law, Terra and Jesse Anderson; granddaughter, Catelynn; stepsons, Kevin Brening and Charlie Yale; ex-wife and mother of his children, Vicki Cunningham; siblings, Delilah Womack, Leo Weaver and Diana; and many nephews and nieces. Lynn was looking forward to the birth of a second grandchild in June.
A memorial service is planned for mid-April in Anchorage. Friends and extended family are invited to pay respects and celebrate his life. Please send an e-mail with contact information to geminitoo@gci.net or mail your name and contact information to: Vicki Cunningham, 5429 Camelot Drive, Anchorage 99508. The family will contact everyone with details as soon as they are known. You may also leave a message at 1-907-229-7919.
Born April 14, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Lynn graduated from Kanab High School in 1961. Despite humble beginnings including living in a potato cellar during his high school years in Utah, over his lifetime Lynn owned five businesses; all but one were in Alaska. In the 1970s, he and his brother Pat owned Merrill Field Upholstery in Anchorage.
A true Alaskan at heart, Lynn first came to Alaska in 1963 for a year and in 1968 moved to Alaska, where he lived for 23 years. He moved briefly to Wyoming in the early 1990s and then to Arlington, Wash., where he established Cunningham Aircraft Covers, which he owned and operated over the past 13 years.
"At Cunningham Aircraft Covers, Lynn designed custom aircraft covers for planes ranging from small Cessnas to military jets," his family recalled. "His reputation for quality workmanship and design earned him multiple awards from trade publications such as Aviation Consumer. He was also known for his top-of-the-line custom boat tops.
"In 1978, Lynn moved to Wasilla, having purchased Hallea Lodge, a popular bar on the shore of Lake Lucille. Many good times and good friends were made during this era, when the Valley was the "wild west," as Lynn put it. As an aviation enthusiast, Lynn owned and piloted a T-Craft. In 1979 he married Vicki, the love of his life. A son, Jesse, and a daughter, Terra, were born in 1980 and 1981. While Lynn and Vicki ended their marriage in 2000, they remained close through the years. They got together in Las Vegas last October to attend a Jimmy Buffett concert, and she was at Lynn's bedside when he passed away.
"Lynn was a voracious reader, going through two to three books a week; he loved music, baseball games, playing guitar with friends, river rafting and carving beautiful soapstone pieces. Over the past 12 years, he appreciated his friends and home away from home at Paraiso's restaurant in Arlington. Most of all he loved his kids and was proud of each of them.
"Lynn will always be known to friends and family as a strong personality, someone who lived fearlessly, unafraid to stand up for his beliefs, no matter the consequences. Sometimes this got him into trouble but mostly it earned the respect and admiration of those close to him. Lynn had a classic renegade spirit that led to many amazing life experiences and stories. When he finished his service to his country as a U.S. Marine in his early 20s, Lynn hitchhiked from Utah to Alaska with a sign stating 'Alaska or I'll Kill Myself': This was an example of Lynn's unique sense of humor that stayed with him through the years. He was always full of odd but humorous sayings, causing his kids to shake their heads and smile, wondering where he came up with this stuff.
"The void created by his passing will be felt always by his family and those who loved him. Lynn will be forever missed as a dad, a grandfather, a friend and a husband."
Lynn leaves behind a son, Jesse Cunningham; daughter and son-in-law, Terra and Jesse Anderson; granddaughter, Catelynn; stepsons, Kevin Brening and Charlie Yale; ex-wife and mother of his children, Vicki Cunningham; siblings, Delilah Womack, Leo Weaver and Diana; and many nephews and nieces. Lynn was looking forward to the birth of a second grandchild in June.