Hellyn Leslie Murphy Cunningham

Mrs. Hellyn Leslie Murphy Cunningham, 92, died peacefully on May 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. She was born on March 18, 1925 to Alexander and Osborne Dent Young Murphy in Leesburg, Georgia after the family returned from the Panama Canal Zone where her father was the Chief Engineer for the Panama Canal Railroad. Hellyn’s three older brothers were born in the Panama Canal Zone. After a short time in Leesburg, Georgia her father, a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, joined the effort to build a railroad to open the Gulf Coast of Florida to Venice, Florida. As a result the Murphy family was one of the pioneer families moving to the rural town of Venice where Hellyn spent many joyous hours swimming and running on the white sandy beaches; the water was always her favorite place to be. Hellyn, studious and popular, graduated from Venice-Nokomis High School in 1942. While working in Base Operations at Venice Air Base processing flights, she met pilot Lt. Douglas Earl Cunningham, a flight instructor, falling in love at first sight. After he received orders for overseas Hellyn went to Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee where she majored in English and Spanish. She loved to write and wrote wonderful letters. They married after a two-year courtship when Douglas returned from World War II. They moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where he completed a degree in aeronautical engineering before relocating to Mobile for his career at Brookley Air Force Base. Hellyn was a devoted mother and a dedicated and loving wife. She and Douglas had six children: Leslie, Teresa, Kay, Lynn, Doug, and Donna. They raised their family in the home they built on Dog River. Hellyn and her family were members of Dauphin Way Baptist Church. She learned to sew and outfitted her family with dance gowns, suit jackets, bathing suits, and more. Their home was filled with friends and family and food was always abundant—cornbread, gumbo, pecan pie, and her delicious bran muffins. Hellyn was loved by all who knew her, welcoming all with a smile and her generous spirit. When Brookley Air Force Base closed in Mobile, Douglas transferred with the F-105 Engineering Division to McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California from 1965-1974. Hellyn enjoyed special friendships with neighbors, taking trips along the west coast, hunting for bargains at flea markets, and going to smorgasbord buffets. While living in Alabama and California, she enjoyed her years volunteering with the Girl Scouts, her church, and her community. In 1974, the family returned to their Dog River home in Mobile where Hellyn took pride in her home and gardens. After a fall in 2009 participation in many of her activities was curtailed; however, she continued to work in the Life Gate Ministry at Christ United Methodist Church in Mobile. As a Christian, Hellyn’s faith was the anchor for her home, church, and prayer life. She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church where she met Marilyn Still. Marilyn and Hellyn became close friends, and Marilyn, along with her husband Billy, provided Hellyn with comfort, friendship, and love through live-in care in her time of need. Together they would dine at different restaurants, but she specially enjoyed Fridays when Billy caught Brim in the lake behind their house and had a fish fry. Hellyn and her family are deeply appreciative of Marilyn and Billy Still for their devotion. She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Lt. Colonel Douglas Earl Cunningham; her father, Alexander Murphy; her mother, Osborne Dent Young Murphy; her brothers, Alexander Young Murphy, Dr. Douglas Roe Murphy, Lloyd Francis Murphy, Bruce Gatewood Murphy; and her grandson, Michael Robert Kethcart. She is survived by six children: Leslie (Horace) Miller of Pensacola, Florida, Teresa Cunningham (Bruce) Marhenke of Carmichael, California, Kay Cunningham (Tarrel James) of Fairhope, Alabama, Lynn Cunningham (Dan) Toms of Auburn, California, Douglas (Cindy) Cunningham of Mobile, Alabama, and Donna Cunningham (Richard) Hawes of Marlboro, Vermont; thirteen grandchildren: Alexander Kethcart, Brie Marhenke (Rudy) Acosta, Max Marhenke, Travis (Alison) James, Ashley James, Douglas James, Dylan Toms, Kaitlyn Toms Jacobs, Danielle Cunningham (Juan) Obregon, Myles (Maggie) Cunningham, Morgan Cunningham (Tucker) Ash, Cameron Hawes, and Madeline Hawes; eleven great grandchildren: Revelry Acosta, Abigail James, Mackenzie James, Caroline James, Charlotte James, Sawyer D. Jacobs, Noah Obregon, Ana Frances Obregon, Lucas Obregon, Lane Cunningham, and William Cunningham; sister-in-law Betty Murphy of Arizona and many Cunningham and Murphy nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Life Gate Ministry at Christ United Methodist Church in Mobile or a charity of your choice. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at Christ United Methodist Church in Mobile on August 10, 2017 at 11:00 AM with reception following. Final arrangements are being made by Serenity Memorial Gardens, 8951 Old Pascagoula Road, Theodore, Alabama 36582, (251) 653-4781. www.serenityfuneralhome.com

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Hellyn Leslie Murphy Cunningham

March 18, 1925 - May 28, 2017