Joe Cunyus passed peacefully in his sleep into the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ during the morning of April 7, 2016. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Monday, April 11, at 2 pm at the West College and Third Street Church of Christ in Lockney. Visitation will be in the home of Joe Cunyus, 215 Southwest Second Street, from 5 to 8 pm Sunday afternoon, April 10. A tribute of Joseph’s life may be found at www.memorialdesigners.net, where you may leave memories and expressions of sympathy for his family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to West College and Third Street Church of Christ in Lockney, TX, P.O. Box 217, Lockney, TX 79241. Joe was born in Prairie Chapel, TX, a small community north of Lockney in the winter of 1934 to Betha Anna Cunyus and Frank Allen Cunyus. He began his lifelong love of farming prior to graduation from Lockney High School in 1951. Joe started farming a quarter section of land north of Lockney owned by his mother, Betha Carthel Cunyus, located near the original Carthel Family homestead, settled in the early 1900’s. Joe met the one and only love of his life, and future wife of 63 years, Barbara Mullins, while attending Lockney High School. Joe and Barbara married on December 25, 1951, in Lockney. They lived their entire lives in Lockney. Joe loved farming, his family, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and watching his children and grandchildren play competitive sports. He loved teaching any kid how to play any type of sport. Joe spent many hours in the driveway of his home teaching kids how to shoot a basketball correctly! A lifelong sports enthusiast, Joe took his children, grandchildren, and many neighborhood children to numerous Texas Tech football and basketball games from the 1950’s through the 2015 football season at Jones Stadium. He was a proud member of the Red Raider Club for most of his life. Joe was a lifelong member of the Lockney West College Street and Third Street Church of Christ. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Barbara Dawn Cunyus, who passed on September 16, 2015, his mother, Betha Anna Carthel Cunyus, his dad, Frank Allen Cunyus, and one sister, Marthella Summers, and two brothers-in-law, Ewell Kelly of Dimmitt, TX, and Jimmy Houck of Deland, Florida. He is survived by two sisters, Nell Cunyus Kelley of Dimmitt and Bette Houck of Eustis, FL: four sons and three daughters-in-law, Danny and Marita Cunyus of Van Alstyne, TX, Larry and Linda Cunyus of Amarillo, TX, Ronnie and Susan Cunyus of Dallas, TX, Jackie Cunyus of Amarillo, TX; eight grandchildren, four great granddaughters, numerous nephews and nieces and his beloved Boston Terrier, Rosie.
