Paul Roger Cunningham

Paul R. Cunningham, Sr. passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

Paul was born July 1, 1945, in Birmingham, England to Jean Cousins Cunningham and Dennis Brown Cunningham. After moving to the States at an early age, he graduated from Harrison Chilhowee Baptist Academy in 1963. Upon graduation, Paul enlisted in the United States Navy and served on the USS Forrestal until 1967.During this time, he married the love of his life, Carolynn Mull on April 5, 1964.  Paul and Carolynn were married 59 years and 8 months.

Paul retired after 30 years of service with All State Insurance Company and Cunningham Insurance Company. He was a very active member of Rockford Baptist Church for many years. His passion was serving his Church, volunteering, and shaping the lives of children.

Paul was an active member of the Maryville-Alcoa Jaycees and served as their President in the early 80’s. He spent many years volunteering his time with Toys for Tots, and The Empty Pantry Fund.

An avid athlete himself, Paul’s ultimate passion was working with children and sports. He served on the Board of Directors for Eagleton Little League for over 2 decades while coaching his son Roger, in baseball, and his daughter Patty, in softball. He went on to coach the Eagleton Little League All-Star teams for multiple seasons.

Most would call his greatest accomplishment, the creation of The Challenger Program. Paul and close friend, Joel Moss developed the Challenger Program in 1994 to give the unique opportunity to mentally and physically handicapped children to play softball. Recently, Eagleton Little League honored Paul by hosting an event in his honor at Eagleton Little League in support of Alzheimer’s/Dementia. Many former softball/baseball players as well as Challenger Program Players attended the event proudly wearing their purple shirts in support of Paul and his battle against Dementia.

Paul is preceded in death by his parents, Jean & Dennis Cunningham; his younger brother, Dickie Cunningham. In addition to his wife Carolynn, Paul is survived by his brother, Carl Cunningham (Kathy); sister, Vickie Steadmon; son, Roger Cunningham (Jennifer); daughter, Patty Cunningham Rietkovich (Ty); grandchildren, Katie Browder (CJ), Caroline Coleman (Thatcher), Haley Cunningham; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff and caretakers at Asbury Place and Gentiva Hospice Services for their excellent care of our husband/father.

Family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 PM Friday, January 5, 2024. The Funeral Service will follow at 7:00 PM. Family and friends will assemble at 11:00 AM for Interment Saturday, January 6, 2024 at Grandview Cemetery. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com