Michael Alan Cunningham

Michael Alan Cunningham passed away peacefully with a smile on his face at home on August 25, 2018. Cherishing his memory are his adoring wife of thirteen years, Christie; parents Lynn and Debbie Cunningham; maternal grandmother Betty Manry; aunts and uncles, including David and Sharon Cunningham of Lafayette, GA; Shelley and Judi Griffith of Athens, TN; and Connie Danahoo of Jacksonville, FL; as well as several cousins, cherished colleagues and friends, and church family. He was preceded in death by siblings Hubert Ernest Cunningham and Jessica Ann Cunningham; paternal grandmother Jeanette Cunningham; and his beloved grandfather Millard Manry. Michael met his wife Christie in preschool but didn’t manage to trick her into a date until his sophomore year of high school. Despite first labelling him a dork, Christie changed her mind, marrying him in 2005 after he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from ETSU. In 2017, they renewed their vows with lots of his beloved cheesy pizza and friends. Michael loved to travel; trips to San Francisco, Austin, and Hawaii are highlights, especially when he acted as Christie’s trophy husband at conferences, but their favorite place was Dillsboro, NC, where his ashes will be scattered. As an animal lover, Michael’s job at the UT Vet School was a perfect fit. He loved taking pictures of adorable critters, like kittens in lab coat pockets and costumed animals on parade. Through this job, Michael also met his beloved cat, Pepper. The two fell in love while playing with a Post-It-Note in his cubical, and she was quickly adopted into the family. Pepper proved to be an avid fan of his attempts to earn high scores on his Rock Band video game. Michael was also the Editor-in-Chief of the RPGamer website. He devoted many hours to crafting careful reviews of numerous games, meticulously choosing screenshots to provide the best possible information, and participating in podcasts. His gaming community is devastated by his passing. As one friend remarked, “the way Michael integrated games into his battle was inspiring. His unyielding, lighthearted strength in the face of a force so devastating is reminiscent of some of the fantastical stuff we all enjoy on the site he helped provide. In this case, however, the hero was real.” Michael was a smart, silly, kind, and generous individual who went out of his way to help people, even when he struggled with extreme fatigue and muscle weakness. When his friends fussed at him for wearing himself out, he would look at them sheepishly and keep doing what he was doing. He valiantly lived with cancer for the last two and a half years and took great delight in telling waiters that he needed substitutions because he literally didn’t have a stomach anymore. Michael brightened everyone’s day and showed immense patience, especially with those he helped in his instructional technology job at the Vet School. His colleagues there supported him in return by running in 5Ks and even creating a music video featuring faculty, staff, and students who had benefited from his help. Despite his illness, Michael stayed involved with Farmers Grove Baptist Church in Clinton. Over the course of twenty years, he served as clerk, treasurer, deacon, Sunday School teacher, choir leader, and VBS director. With their humor and support, the staff at Thompson Survival Cancer Center became an extended family to him over the past two years. Even in the face of painful and frightening circumstances, Michael maintained a stoic and faithful outlook. The planet was a better place for his having existed. He will be acutely missed by all who knew and loved him. A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, September 5th (his 38th birthday) at the Life Event Center, 1404 Tuckaleechee Pike, Maryville, TN. A Receiving of Friends will be held from 5-7 pm, with a celebration program beginning at 7 pm. Michael didn’t like flowers, so he requested any donations be made to the ASPCA or St. Jude’s. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Michael Alan Cunningham please visit our Sympathy Store.