Noreen T. Cunningham, home designer
Noreen T. Cunningham, 70, of Millsboro, and formerly of Port Washington, Wis., passed away Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, after a courageous three-year fight with cancer. She was born March 29, 1949, in New York City, N.Y., daughter of the late Thomas O'Connor Sr. and Anne O' Connor (nee Patwell).
Noreen was an honors graduate of the Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Girls High School in Upper Manhattan. She continued her Catholic education at both Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. and Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wis. She was an extraordinarily expert homemaker, home remodeler, and home designer for most of her adult life.
Noreen is survived by her beloved husband, George Cunningham, who is a retired partner of the law firm Foley and Lardner, Milwaukee. She is also survived by her three brothers: Doctor Thomas O'Connor of West Palm Beach, Fla., Patrick O'Connor of Doylestown, Pa., and Timothy O'Connor of Claremont, Fla; two sisters, Maureen Whiteside of Oakridge, N.J., and Anne O'Shea of Westgrove, Pa.; 12 loving nieces and nephews, 3 of whom, Tim O'Shea, Kelly Loeb, and Dr. Tracey O'Connor, were especially supportive during her illness. Noreen was also the proud godmother of a dozen children, including again Tim and Kelly and most recently, Dr. Tracey's son, Eamonn. She was also loved by hundreds of friends in Delaware, Wisconsin, and elsewhere, as well as by every dog, especially every Basset Hound in the known universe.
A Celebration of Noreen’s Life will be held Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m., at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes, where friends may visit beginning at 2 p.m.
A second celebration will be held in Port Washington, Wis. during the summer of 2020, date, time and place to be announced.
Noreen loved flowers, but she also loved our country’s veterans. All three of her brothers and her brother-in-law, Tim O'Shea, served during the Vietnam War era, her brothers Tom and Patrick in Vietnam itself. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Operation SEAs the Day, a local hands-on organization dedicated to Vets. Send donations to P.O. Box 811, Bethany Beach, DE 19930.
Please visit Noreen’s Life Memorial Webpage and sign her online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.
