- Date Of Birth: December 2, 1927
- Date Of Death: January 10, 2023
- State: New Mexico
Tuesday, January 10, 2023. was a good day to die and thus Eugene W. (Gene) Cunnington passed peacefully in his sleep that evening at the age of 95.
Gene was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday, December 2, 1927, and was the son of Eugene A. Cunnington and Wilma V. Lujan. He was raised and attended school in Salt Lake and upon his high school graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy in February 1946. He was stationed in Guam, traveled to other areas of the Pacific, and was Honorably Discharged in December of 1947. In 1948, Gene returned to Salt Lake, and was soon introduced to and later married his first wife of 50 years, Margaret A. Romero. Gene and Margaret lived for a short time in Idaho, and later moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where Gene was first employed by the Zia Corp. and later by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he remained until his retirement in 1990. Gene and Margaret had four children, Michael (Debra L.) Cunnington, Guy L. (Gail) Cunnington, David C. (Kimberly) Cunnington and Debra A. Cunnington. Margaret passed in 1999 and Gene later married Dixie G. Miller, whom he remained married to until his passing.
Gene is further survived by his siblings, Carole Popoff, Candy Beck, and Mike (Kim) Cunnington; his children noted above; four stepchildren, nine grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.
Gene was a talented artist, with said talent running deep in his family. He was most proud of his Native American heritage and his artwork was often reflective of the culture of the Taos Pueblo; of which he was a tribal member. Gene loved to camp, fish, bird hunt, and ski, passing his passion for these hobbies along to his family. We were most fortunate as a family to have spent so many wonderful times enjoying the outdoors and a warm fire. Further, he loved to RV and spent much of his retirement time exploring the open road. Gene was also an Eagle Scout, Sea Scout, and a tenured member of the Los Alamos Elks Club.
There are no words to express how wonderful of a man Gene was to all that knew him. He was truly a gift from God, we were ever so proud of him, and we know he will continue to live in the hearts of so many!
