A memorial for Ruth Cunningham, 84, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. at Harvest Church in Turlock (130 3rd St). She passed away on Aug. 17 surrounded by family members.
Ruth, the oldest of three children, was born in Oklahoma and raised in Missouri. She later met and married Steve, and they lived in Oregon, Kansas and Alabama before settling in Turlock in 1982 with their two sons. She and Steve were married for 36 years.
She faithfully loved Jesus and deeply cared for other people, constantly seeking ways to serve and help, whether in the children's area at Harvest Church, volunteer work in town, or simply time with friends (bonus if cats were involved). There were no strangers to Ruth; just friends she hadn't made yet.
Her love for music fueled her times singing in the church choir, playing the piano or violin, and attending as many concerts as she could.
Her career included administrative work at the Assemblies of God national offices in Missouri; the Eugene Register–Guard newspaper; the Douglas County courthouse in Kansas; and CSU Stanislaus, Scandia Village, and Turlock Professional Park in Turlock.
She loved traveling and hit the 50–state milestone on her first cruise to Alaska with her close friend Pat. Other highlights included serving as a short–term missionary in Greece for eight months, traveling to more than a dozen other countries, spending countless weekends in Yosemite or Monterey, and visiting Hawaii several times.
Ruth was a cancer survivor whose optimistic, cheerful attitude remained strong even through health struggles in recent years. She moved to Idaho in 2025 to be closer to family.
She is survived by her sons, Rob (Trista) Cunningham of Lewiston, Idaho; and Rick Cunningham of Denair, Calif.; her grandson, Jesse Cunningham; her sister, Mary (Rick) Towers; numerous nieces and nephews; and countless friends who had become family over the years, including five "adopted" grandchildren from the Williams and Martinez families. She was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Mildred Pyle; and brother, Melvin Pyle.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Yosemite Conservancy, 101 Montgomery St., Suite 2450, San Francisco CA 94104 (or yosemite.org).
