Mrs. Elizabeth Heard Cunningham

Elizabeth Heard Cunningham was born at home to Charles Sterling Heard and Annella Moore Heard on June 18, 1933, and raised on the Heard family farm in Charlotte, Tennessee. She passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Betty, as she was affectionately known, is survived by her sister Serena Peebles; daughter Tracy Riordan; stepdaughter Carol Rampale; grandchildren Joey, Jason, Daryl, Richard, and Melissa; and great-grandchildren Jeremy, Kaylee, Peyton, and Travis.

She was preceded in death by her husband David Cunningham; her parents; her first husband David Riordan; her sons David Riordan and Charles Riordan; and her brothers Jessie, Maurice, and Henry Heard.

Betty was an active member of St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach. A lifelong seamstress, caterer, and accountant, she also opened the first women’s sportswear store in Virginia Beach in the early 1970s. She volunteered alongside her late husband with the Khedive Temple Shriners and participated in civic organizations including ABWA, DAV, the Tidewater Depression Club, the VFW Auxiliary, and Naval Ship Reunions.

A funeral service will be held March 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, 6329 E. Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk, VA, with burial to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Betty’s honor to St. Andrews United Methodist Church, 717 Tucson Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 or at https://www.saumcvb.org/donate/.