Funeral Services For Dean Cunningham

Services for Dean Cunningham, 82, of Wausa, will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday May 20, 2016, at Thabor Lutheran Church in Wausa. The Rev. Ron Youngerman will officiate with burial in the Lutheran Cemetery in Wausa.

Visitation will be Thursday evening from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Thabor Lutheran Church, with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m.  Refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall during visitation. 

Brockhaus Funeral Home in Wausa is in charge of arrangements.

He died Sunday, May 15, 2016, at Bryan East Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska with family by his side. 
Dean Willard Cunningham was born May 2, 1934, at Meadow Grove, Nebraska to Grace (Paulson) & Earl Cunningham. 

Dean grew up at Randolph, NE graduating in 1952.  He had polio at the age of six, in which his family was quarantined for a period of time due to its rarity at that time.  He participated in sports while in school, although horses were always his real passion.  He loved breaking and training horses.  Frosty was his very special horse, which he taught to teeter-totter and showed off that talent at local county
fairs. 

He married Elda (Jensen) on November 22, 1953, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Randolph, which is also where he was baptized and confirmed.  Their union was blessed with 8 children, Douglas, LaVonne, Vicky, David, Terri, Gail, Toni, and Elizabeth. 

They farmed in different areas and purchased their farm near Wausa in 1964.  Dean was on the rural school board, was a 4-H leader and helped with the horse program at the Knox County Fair for many years. He also enjoyed working with the annual Wausa Horse Show, which celebrated 40 years in 2015.  His family was very special to him and he loved attending all of their activities, especially the many horse shows and rodeos they participated in. 

Survivors include his wife, Elda; three sons, Douglas (Debra) Cunningham of Norfolk, David (Linda) Cunningham of Wausa, and Gail (Suzanne) Cunningham of Bloomfield; four daughters, LaVonne Cunningham of Kirkland, WA, Vicky (Jeffrey) Erickson of York, Toni (Todd) Prince of Osmond, and Elizabeth (Curtis) Maertins of Osmond; 21 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Gerald Cunningham and Don Cunningham both of Laurel; one sister, Deanna (Dan) Gansebom of Osmond; brother-in-law, Marvin (Shirley) Jensen of Randolph; sisters-in-law, Mae Reuter of South Sioux City and June Andersen of Neligh; and numerous nieces and nephews.

​Dean was preceded in death by his parents; his wife’s parents, Irwin and Elizabeth Jensen; daughter, Terri Suhr; sisters-in-law, Janet DeLozier, Sharolyn Cunningham and Ardis Cunningham; brothers-in-law, Frances Moser, Harold DeLozier, Dean Andersen, and Marvin Reuter.

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