Michael “Mike” Jay Cunningham

The family of Michael Jay Cunningham will celebrate his life at 1:00 PM on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at Westminster Presbyterian Church.  His family will host a time of fellowship and remembrance from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers.  He passed away on Friday, October 14, 2022.  We invite you to view his recorded service on this page and sign his virtual guestbook.

On July 6, 1952, Michael Jay Cunningham was born in Big Spring, Texas, to Arnison Jay and Mildred Anne (Hardy) Cunningham Kennedy.

Mike graduated from Big Spring High School in 1970.  Though his childhood and adolescent years were spent in Big Spring, Texas, some of his fondest memories were of the adventures, along with siblings and cousins on the grandparent’s farm in Glasscock County, Texas.

Following High School and a year at Howard Co Junior College, he enrolled at Texas Tech University, and received a BBA in Accounting, Magna Cum Laude, along with the distinction of #2 in the College of Business for that year and an award for superior academic performance.

Following graduation, he married the former Alice Ann Brown, whom he had met at Tech in 1972.  This past June, they celebrated 48 years of marriage.

After a semester of graduate school, he began practicing public accounting with a local CPA firm, receiving his CPA license, followed by one year with a national accounting firm. By this time, two children, a daughter, Mikell Erin, and a son, Andrew Peyton, had made the family complete.  The family returned to Lubbock, where Mike and M Dan Howard co-founded the accounting firm of Howard & Cunningham in 1980. The firm grew, adding additional partners, currently known as Howard Cunningham Houchin & Turner. Throughout Mike’s career, he was known for impeccable service and financial advisement, and many of his clients became lifelong friends.

Mike demonstrated a strong commitment to his church, Westminster Presbyterian, having joined in 1975, and to the Lubbock community, he called home.  With enthusiasm and excellence, he served on boards of Family Outreach from its earliest years, South Plains Children’s Shelter, Presbyterian Medical Center, President of Southwest Lubbock Rotary, chairman of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra Board, Board Chair of United Way of Lubbock, both the Covenant Hospital Systems & the Board of Directors of Covenant Hospital, Board Chair of the Center for the Study of Addiction & Recovery at Texas Tech and the Board of Directors of ABC Bank.

In addition, Mike served as a ruling elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church.  Possessing a passion for studying and teaching the Bible, Mike taught High School, University, and adult Sunday School classes for many years.  Reflecting the traits of persistence & determination, he set a personal goal to begin daily Bible reading, cover to cover, annually.   This past December, he completed his 21st time to follow a reading guide yearly.  In the last years of his life, Mike often gave testimony to the impact this discipline brought to his life.

Through the 8 1/2 years of his personal cancer battle, he stayed the course of his faith, despite the constant struggles he silently endured. He would rarely speak of himself.  His favorite topic was his children, and grandchildren, whom he loved fiercely.

Mike was a man of persistence & determination, humility, discipline & excellence, a man after God’s own heart.  He will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife, Alice Cunningham; daughter, Erin Cunningham, and husband, Preston; son, Andrew Cunningham, and wife, Megan; grandchildren, Ellie, Meredith, Kathryn, and Peyton Cunningham; mother, Mildred Cunningham Kennedy, and husband, Noel; sister, Marilyn Fortezzo and husband, Jeff; brother, James Cunningham, and wife, Brenda; sister, Laura Gillen, along with many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Mike is preceded in death by his father, Jay Cunningham.

The family of Mike Cunningham has designated Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3321 33^rd Street, Lubbock, Texas 79410, or Hospice of Lubbock, 3702 21^st Street, Lubbock, Texas 79410, for memorial donations in his memory.

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