Patti was a loving, sassy, spitfire of a woman who lived every moment for her family and the Cubs. Patricia Jean (Kelley) Cunningham, 67, of Davenport, IA, passed away at the Cunningham family home on June 6, 2024.
Pat-the-Brat, as she was affectionately known, was born in Davenport in 1957 to William Sr. & Margaret (Lohf) Kelley. As one of nine children, Patti grew up with a strong sense of love and family. Her childhood home was full of the perfect mix of love, fun, cousins, food, aunts, traditions, uncles, chaos, nieces, nephews, holidays, and Jesus. She cherished these memories and spoke of them often.
Patti graduated from Davenport West High School in 1975 with the dream of being a mother to a large family. She married the love of her life, Douglas Cunningham, on September 10, 1980, and they were blessed with six children: Kelley Cunningham, Beth Anne Jansen, Steven Cunningham, Stephanie (Ryan) Fritz, Leslie (Shawn Dormire) Cunningham, and David Cunningham.
Patti lived her dream of being a mom with her whole self. She blessed her children with refined skills in: homestyle cooking, support, love, cookie making, a mother’s love, boundary exploration, toughness, love, cleaning, gardening, the value of every holiday, love, how special a birthday can be, POTATO SALAD and her expert chauffeuring skills. Each Cunningham child, and all of their friends, has a Patti shuttle memory!
The only thing Patti loved as much as being a mom was being a grandma. She had a soft spot and a full heart for each of her eight beloved grandchildren: Solomon Smith Jr., Tiffany Morton, Steven Smith, Kayla Beth Cunningham, Josiah Stark, Haley Stark, Margaret Sachsenmaier, and Marshall Sachsenmaier. She loved them with a full heart, the fun toys, and a week’s worth of sugary treats.
Patti explored many career paths as she worked to support her family. This gave her experience in waitressing, bartending, bowling alleys, fireworks stands, cleaning, newsletter writing, managing apartment complexes, hardware stores, and more. Her two longest and most fulfilling positions were being a stay-at-home mom and 17 years at the Davenport Walmart. She loved her Walmart family, the relationships they built, and the fun they had working together.
Patti had diverse interests outside of work and family. She loved a good movie, science fiction, Weird Al, crime drama, Stephen King, cookie making, Johnny Dangerously, a good pun, every holiday, Star Trek, (Uncle) Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa Claus, and THE CUBBIES. Patti spent her days, especially the last seven years, trying out for the Chicago Cubs Number One Fan status. She was overjoyed by the Cubs' win at the 2016 World Series and basically lived in Cubs gear thereafter. Go, Cubs, Go.
Patti is survived by her husband, five of her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren (Jeremiah Hughes, Skyla Smith, Khyree Wells, and La’Mina Waters), as well as her siblings: Margaret Urmie, Edward Kelley, Kathleen (Eric) Randelman, Maureen (Larry) Koepke, Colleen Kelley; her sister-in-law, Rhonda Kelley; and brother-in-law, John Harris, as well as 27 nieces and nephews, and a very large extended family. She loved all of these people dearly.
Patti was preceded in death by her parents, her son Steven Cunningham, her sister Mary Harris, her brothers William Kelley Jr. and Joseph Kelley; her mother-in-law, Jaqueline Johnson; her father-in-law, Lloyd Cunningham; and the beloved family dog, Louie Cunningham.
Visitation will be held on June 11, 2024, from 4:00-7:00 pm at Range Mortuary. A private interment service will be held at a later date. Donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the American Lung Association are greatly appreciated.
