Obituary of Charles Godvin Cunningham

Charles “Skip” Cunningham, 76, of Fairfax, VA, passed away on Monday, January 2nd, 2017. Born on December 5th, 1940, he was the son of Robert and Mildred Heydt. He is survived by his wife Cheryl Cunningham, his daughter Wendy Littman and her husband Justin Littman, his daughter Betsy Cunningham and her husband William Willis, his grandchildren Sam Littman, Maya Littman, Molly Willis, and Leah Willis, and sisters Linda Cunningham of Wallingford, CT, and Virginia McGrath of Colorado Springs, CO. Skip left high school in his senior year to enlist in the United States Coast Guard, where he served for 4 ½ years and received his GED. Upon leaving the military, he received an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Norwalk Community College and B.A. Degree in Geology/Physics from Amherst College. At Amherst, he met Cher Cunningham, a University of Massachusetts student, and they were married on August 10, 1968. He continued his education, earning a M.S. Degree in Geology/Chemistry from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in Geology/Chemistry from Stanford University. Skip spent the summers of his Ph.D. years living with Cher in a small mountain cabin high in the central Colorado Rockies, mapping the Italian Mountain intrusive complex. He left Stanford in 1973 for a teaching position at Syracuse University; but after a year of grey skies, he was lured back to Colorado by the promise of sunshine and funding to do the cutting-edge research he loved at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver. He found a home at the USGS, where he served as a Research Scientist and administrator for 40 years. A prolific writer, he authored or co-authored more than 250 publications during his time with USGS. But while he enjoyed collaborating on papers, his main love was being “in the field” -- and he spent many months of the year mapping precious metal deposits all over the world, including Marysvale, UT, South America, and China. Skip was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1999, and with his unusual ability to “make lemonade out of lemons,” he continued to travel, spend good time with family, friends, and colleagues, and bring a smile to the faces of all those he encountered. A private graveside service was held at Chestnut Grove cemetery on January 4th. A celebration of Skip’s life will be held on Sunday, January 15th, at 3 PM at the Amphora Diner located at 1151 Elden Street in Herndon. All are invited. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to (You can donate to one of these charities by selecting "Donate" in the left navigation menu): Insight Memory Care Center Amherst College Annual Fund (please indicate in the Comments section that this gift is designated for the Geology Department) The Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area