Melvin Ellsworth Cunningham was born on July 21st, 1916 in Brown County, Texas and died at 97 after a short illness in Tucson, Az.

Parents were Dave Cunningham and Martha Evelyn Ribble Cunningham.

Melvin graduated from Early High School in the late 1930’s. He married Mildred Beatrice Ezell and they were married for 71 years until her death in 2012 at age 93. After Bea’s death Melvin moved in with his  daughter Cheri and son-in-law Melvin Green after they moved to St. Johns, Az.

He is survived by his four children, Kathy Benson of Sacramento, California, Cheri Green of St. Johns, Az. Ron Cunningham of Tucson, Az. and Janet Wofford of Hurley, NM.

He has numerous grand children and great grand children. Melvin worked at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for 20 years and retired from there in 1979. Many trips to Alaska were made with his truck and camp trailer. He loved fishing and metal detecting. There will be a memorial service held in July, 2014, at the lake he and Bea loved to fish every summer. The lake is Reservation Lake located on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona.