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William Cunningham
William Cunningham
William Cunningham
William Cunningham
William Cunningham
William Cunningham

Obituary of William Patrick Cunningham

William Patrick Cunningham, 82, of Falcon Heights, MN, passed away suddenly on July 24, 2019, after suffering a major heart attack while attending the Chautauqua Institute in New York with his wife, Mary Ellen. Bill was born on July 11, 1937, in Ottumwa, Iowa. He loved books, conversation, music, novel foods, travel, and sour cherry pie.

Bill had an early enthusiasm for Boy Scout camping and became an Eagle Scout at 15. He spent several years as a camper and counselor at Philmont Scout Camp in New Mexico, backpacking and participating in other high adventures in the Rocky Mountains. The family later moved to Texas. He attended San Marcos High School, Texas State Teachers College, and the University of Texas in Austin where he earned a Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Genetics.

Bill and Mary met in 1959 in Glacier National Park while they were both working summer jobs during their college years. This was the start of their 60 years of amazing experiences, rewarding careers, and joy in raising a family together. Bill found adventure in life, work, travel, food, and many other things. As a professor at the University of Minnesota, he took advantage of every quarter leave, sabbatical, and other opportunity to travel, pursue his studies, and bring his family to new places, including Sweden, Norway, Colorado, and Indonesia. This wanderlust allowed Bill to share stories and history, facts and information with family, friends, and colleagues. Bill's early academic work in cell biology later shifted toward conservation biology and environmental science, in response to increasingly urgent environmental concerns and the interests of his students.

Bill loved being in the wilderness, and he camped and canoed often with this family in the Boundary Waters. In the 1970s, he served as president of the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. He travelled to lobby Congress to create the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Bill built beautiful wood-strip canoes and paddles, and he led the construction of the 33' voyageur canoe for Camp du Nord. Bill and Mary continue their involvement with camps Widjiwagen and du Nord doing garage sale fundraisers. Author Sigurd Olson inspired much of Bill’s love of the wilderness and he led a trip to visit Sig’s cabin Listening Point the week before he died, while they were at Camp du Nord.

Bill’s passion for teaching cell biology and environmental science expanded beyond the classroom and included textbook writing on environmental science. His daughter Mary Ann joined him as a co-author. Their textbooks, "Environmental Science, A Global Concern" and "Principles of Environmental Science," have been top sellers for 30 years and are widely used in colleges throughout the country.

Bill was an exemplary teacher, professor, and mentor to his many undergraduate and graduate students. In 1993, he received the Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

He was predeceased by parents Mary Maxine and William G. Cunningham, and older brother James E. Cunningham. Bill is survived by wife Mary Ellen (Lavelle) Cunningham; children Peg Desrochers (Mark), Mary Ann Cunningham (Tom Finkle), and John Cunningham; grandchildren: Madeleine, Leo, Freya, Linnea, Sophy, Ella, and Alita. He is also survived by a sister Kathleen Smith, sister-in-law Georgie Cunningham and nephew Michael (Donna).

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, and 10-11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at St. Francis Cabrini Church, 1500 Franklin Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, with a Funeral Mass to follow at 11 a.m. Friday. There will be a private burial at a later date. Funeral arrangements by Minnesota Cremation Society. Memorials in Bill's name are suggested to: Save the Boundary Waters Foundation, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Catholic Charities, Camp du Nord, or charity of your choice.

Thursday
1
August

Visitation

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Thursday, August 1, 2019
St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church
1500 France Avenue Southeast
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Friday
2
August

Mass of Christian Burial

11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Friday, August 2, 2019
St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church
1500 France Avenue Southeast
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States