Madeline Alexander Cunningham

Madeline Alexander Cunningham, a devoted wife to her late husband Bruce Cunningham, adored mother of seven, cherished grandmother of 19, and beloved great-grandmother of 11, passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 89. She defiantly told her children she would only leave her home of 58 years in Bethesda, Maryland “feet first”, and after receiving her last rites from Monsignor John Enzler, a long-time friend of the Cunningham family, she left her home one final time on April 9, 2022.

Madeline was born on September 27, 1932 to Calvert and Helen Bean in Voorheesville, NY. She grew up in the Albany area with her now deceased siblings, Calvert Bean (Katerin), Marylou Bauer (Robert), and Donald Bean. It was in Albany at Vincentian Institute High School that she met her high school sweetheart and soulmate, Bruce Cunningham, who swept her off her feet. The Bean family embraced Bruce as one of their own.

In April 1954 while Bruce was a senior at Manhattan College, Bruce and Madeline married at the age of 22, before Bruce’s military deployment. Being an Air Force wife defined the first years of her marriage to Bruce as she moved to various military bases across the U.S., all the while demonstrating an exceptional aptitude for child-rearing as she gave birth to seven children in the span of nine years. Eventually they settled down in their beautiful family home, beginning Madeline’s favorite years raising her seven highly spirited children, Bruce, Brian, Brent, Cathy, Timothy, Jeffrey, and Daniel. She exuded patience and love as a mother, which everyone who knew or knew of the Cunningham children understood this to be an exceptional feat. She has more than earned her cushy seat in heaven.

A devout Catholic all of her life, the Cunningham’s joined St. Jane De Chantal Parish, where Madeline was an active member for the last 58 years, until the last two years due to the pandemic and her health. You could count on finding Madeline at Sunday mass and the following Monday at church counting the weekend donations. Not only a model of the Catholic Church by her attendance record, but she is also remembered for living out the morals of her faith - being an honest, good, and selfless person.

While Sunday’s were reserved for God, Friday and Saturday nights were all about having a fun time – and Madeline was the life of the party. Madeline and Bruce cherished their neighborhood dinner club with lifelong friends, the Kanes, Dooleys, Franks, Lockes, DelVecchio's, and Lynches. Madeline looked forward to her annual girl’s trip away with her closest childhood friends. She and Bruce also enjoyed belonging to Bethesda Country Club for over 45 years, where Madeline regularly played golf and bridge.

One of Madeline’s proudest moments was enrolling at the University of Maryland to complete her bachelor’s degree, which she accomplished in 1982. She relished telling her family the story of being in the same accounting class as her eldest son, Bruce.

Madeline’s favorite place in the world was her beach house in Ocean City, Maryland, where she and Bruce spent their summers since 1993. She took great joy in watching her grandchildren grow up playing on the beach, and her own children morph into the role of parents. Into the late evenings she would challenge her family members to a game of Yahtzee; and as a fierce card shark and competitive gamer, a trait her sons inevitably inherited, she handily crushed the competition yelling “Yahtzee!” She was teased by her family for her inquisitive spirit – but really, she just wanted to be involved. A smile stayed glued to her face whenever Madeline, or as her grandchildren lovingly know her – Nani – was surrounded by her family. Madeline was arguably happiest during an Ocean City happy hour, glass of white wine in hand, surrounded by her family, and the sound of waves in the background.

Madeline and Bruce hosted Christmas Eve parties every year, a gathering of fifty plus Cunningham’s under her roof. This inevitably became the best party of the year, famous for the piles of presents covering an entire floor of the house, the astounding number of appetizers, and Madeline’s famous homemade molasses cookies (her incredible baking skills should be noted!) Between the beach house and holidays at the Cunningham’s, Madeline mastered the role of hostess and after her husband Bruce passed, the matriarch and head of the family.

While Madeline’s health deteriorated over the last few years, her children alternated coming over for dinner. It was serendipitous to have seven children; this meant one child for each day of the week; she always had company. Her children adored their mother, and deeply respected her desire to fight for another day. The family respected her fierce pride and love of home, so much that she spent all her remaining days in her house filled with memories accumulated over nearly 60 years.

Madeline is the beloved matriarch to her tight-knit Irish Catholic family. Her family attributes their remarkably close bond to the love she exuded and her earnest, unwavering belief that family comes first.

Her memory and fun-loving spirit continues through her long-lasting legacy, including her children Bruce T. Cunningham Jr. (Patty), Brian P. Cunningham (Irene), Brent S. Cunningham (Karen), Cathy M. Casagrande (Gene), Timothy J. Cunningham (Cathy), Jeffrey P. Cunningham (Leslie), and Daniel J. Cunningham (Diana); her 19 grandchildren Annabelle Cunningham, Scarlett Cunningham, Brian Cunningham Jr. (Courtney), Aislinn Cunningham, Brent Cunningham Jr. (Amanda), Kevin Cunningham (Kate), Kara Gray (Zachary), Kellie Ann Jiron (Jamie), Michael Casagrande (Meredith), Mark Casagrande (Tarah), Megan Casagrande, Madeline Casagrande, Timothy Cunningham Jr., Sean Cunningham, Connor Cunningham, Emily Cunningham (Patrick), Calvert Cunningham, Bruce Cunningham, & Christina Cunningham; and finally, some of the last joys of her life, her 11 great-grandchildren, Logan Cunningham, Lily Cunningham, Reese Cunningham, Ella Cunningham, Molly Cunningham, Finnley Jiron, Waverly Gray, Keely Cunningham, Vincent Casagrande, Colette Casagrande, & Mark Casagrande Jr.

Friends may call at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church, 9601 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814 on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with words of remembrance at 10:45 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial offered at 11 a.m.

Interment Gate of Heaven, Silver Spring, MD.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Benedictine School, 14229 Benedictine Lane, Ridgely School, MD 21660, www.benschool.org