Faith Cunningham

Faith Ann (Allen) Cunningham, 81, died on May 9, 2026 in Naperville, IL surrounded by her family. Born Sept. 16, 1944 in Wausau, Wis., she grew up in Wisconsin and attended college in Dubuque, Iowa, later earning her master’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin. In 1977, she married Charles Cunningham (1945–2025), becoming mother to his daughter Carrie Ann. She later had two boys, Joshua and Joel, raising them in Richton Park, IL. and later moving to Braidwood, IL.

Throughout her life, Faith gave generously of herself as a social worker, most recently at Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee, IL, where she worked for more than 25 years before retiring in 2012. In 2019, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by moving to the American southwest, settling in Sun City, Ariz., where she lived until early 2026, when she relocated to Naperville to be closer to her family. A lifelong reader, Faith loved nothing more than settling down with a good book alongside one of her many beloved cats.

Faith is survived by her children, Carrie Ann Cunningham, Joshua (Amy) Cunningham, and Joel (Donna Mehrabi) Cunningham; and her grandchildren, Christopher Westphal, Brayden Jasurda, Nina Mehrabi-Cunningham, and Reed Mehrabi-Cunningham. She was preceded in death by Charles, her husband of 48 years; her parents, Wilbur and Wilma Allen; her brother, Vern Allen; and a nephew, Jeff Allen.