Nancy Marie (Bush) Cunningham

Nancy Cunningham clearly heard her Heavenly Father call her

name at 3:17 AM on Sunday, February 23, 2025 and joyfully

surrendered all connections to this earthly life as she was

transported to her new home in Heaven by her precious

Savior, Jesus Christ.

Since publicly professing her faith in Jesus on Easter Sunday at

First Baptist Church Greenville (Mississippi) at the age of 12,

Nancy spent her life preparing for and serving her Lord Jesus

Christ in many capacities.

She was fond of telling how petrified she was when her

Sunday School teacher would call on her to play the piano for

opening exercises in front of her classmates. From then on, no

matter how uncomfortable it might be, she always answered

the call of her Lord in his service.

Nancy studied English Literature at Mississippi College

(Clinton) and graduated with a B.S. degree in 1966. The week

following college graduation, Nancy married fellow student,

Neil Rawls (deceased). Their daughter, Stephanie was born in

June 1970. Neil and Nancy were divorced in 1985.

Shortly after marrying, Neil and Nancy moved to Florida where

she taught junior high students Shakespeare at Ruckle Junior

High School in Niceville, Florida.

Nancy moved to Orlando in 1971 where she began what

would become her lifetime passion teaching preschoolers,

their parents, and church leaders how small children learn

about Jesus.

At First Baptist Church (Orlando) she studied under seasoned

preschool teacher, Helen Rodgers and Preschool Children’s

Minister Wayne Johnson, serving as a preschool division

director. Recognizing her giftedness for teaching and

administration, the Florida Baptist Convention selected Nancy

to serve as a special worker instructing preschool leaders

across the state.

Nancy grew up with three special friends who called

themselves the four ‘Ya-Yas’. They met every year and

rekindled their friendship gathering at each other’s homes and

traveling to places such as Savannah, Santa Fe, and

Mississippi.

Nancy loved spending time in her flower garden and

cataloging the birds as they stopped by in the morning. She

had a passion for travel, visiting all but five of the fifty states.

Nancy married L. David Cunningham on November 23, 1991 at

Marie Williams Chapel, First Baptist Church (Orlando). They

enjoyed their honeymoon in Hawaii and spent the next few

decades traveling together.

Nancy Marie (Bush) Cunningham is survived by her husband,

L. David Cunningham; daughter Stephanie Rawls; sister

Virginia Hutson (Mike); stepchildren: David E. Cunningham

(Sylvia), Shannah Eastridge (Michael); nine grandchildren and

nieces and nephews.

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