Obituary of Mitchell Joseph "Mitch" Cunningham

Mitch Cunningham of Boise, Idaho lost his courageous battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade IV brain cancer on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, at home, surrounded by his loved ones.

Mitch was born in Nampa, Idaho on May 18, 1968, to David and Pam Cunningham. He attended Eastside and Sunnyridge Elementary, South Junior High, and graduated from Nampa Senior High School in 1986. He attended Eastern Oregon State College and Blue Mountain Community College.

As a kid, Mitch played Little League baseball, football, and wrote amazing stories. Mitch was social and began his talent for making friends by talking too much in class, as indicated on his report cards.

Mitch was especially proud of his military service. He was hired by Lear Siegler Inc. (LSI) to do modifications on the F-4 aircraft. He worked at the Idaho Air National Guard as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician and retired with a rank of SSgt. He was awarded the Southeast Asia Service Medal and served in the Gulf War, deployed to Saudi Arabia in Operation Southern Watch. He was also deployed during the Gulf War to Turkey in Operation Northern Watch. He was a part of the 124^th Fighter Group that was awarded the U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award that was personally awarded by the Secretary of the Air Force for its role in Operation Southern Watch. Mitch was honorably discharged in 1998.

In 1989, Mitch began his career in technology at Micron. One of the most admirable things about Mitch was his work ethic and hunger for success. He desired knowledge and had a passion for sharing his newest gadget. He also worked for MPC and ended with CompuNet, Inc. as an outside sales rep. At CompuNet, he became the salesman that business owners respected because he wasn’t afraid of “NO” and kept coming back until he got that “YES.” Mitch was compassionate, full of integrity, well-loved, and respected by his customers and co-workers.

Mitch married the love of his life, Libby Rodriguez, on September 24, 1993, in Caldwell, Idaho. He had a wonderful daughter, Kaitlyn, and together with Libby, had one daughter, Meghan. They lived in Caldwell for several years, eventually moving to Boise. Mitch could be found spending Friday nights taking pictures at Caldwell High football games and perfecting his photography skills. In between attending local events and activities such as summers at The Idaho Shakespeare Festival and falls at Boise State games, they made it a priority to spend quality time together traveling the world.

Throughout his life, Mitch made friends with everyone he met and could easily converse with people from all walks of life, unless you were a Vandal! Among Mitch’s highest values were his personal relationships with friends and family. His quick wit and jokes garnered lots of laughs, even if you found yourself at the receiving end of his humor.

Mitch loved football and his loyalty for the Dallas Cowboys began as a young boy.  A long-time dream was fulfilled by attending the Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida.  In addition, he was a Boise State football fan and a season football ticket holder for 20 plus years. Mitch also had a passion for golf; he loved playing, discussing, and watching. He checked off a couple of bucket list dreams by attending the Masters and US Open, not just once, but twice! Mitch was good at so many things including fly fishing, barbecuing, and anything to do with technology. He and his sister had many “cooking competitions” which he won every time; his sister even voted for him! His daughters called him a fashion icon because he could dress to the nines if circumstances demanded, and he had the shoes for any and every occasion.

Mitch is survived by his wife, Libby of Boise; his daughters: Kaitlyn (Teryn) Henderson of Emmett and Meghan Cunningham of Scottsdale, AZ; twin grandsons: Luke and Tate Dobbs of  Emmett; mother, Pam Cunningham of Nampa; father, David (Katerina) Cunningham of Texas; sister, Cheri Cunningham of Nampa; aunt, Carolee Christensen of Cascade; uncle, Robert MacGuffie of Tuscon, AZ; cousins: Gary Christensen of Berlin, Germany, Joe (Sarah) Christensen of Caldwell, Corby Christensen of Oregon, Robyn (Todd) Hohensee of Atlanta, GA, and Mike MacGuffie of Twin Falls; mother and father-in-law, Fred and Maria Rodriguez of Caldwell; sister and brother-in-law, Malena and Chris Doyle of North Carolina; brother-in-law, Freddie Rodriguez of Caldwell; and numerous other relatives, in-laws, and friends. He was preceded in death by maternal grandparents, Vilas and Maxine Brandt; paternal grandparents, Joe and Bea Cunningham; aunts, Karen MacGuffie and Elizabeth Christensen; uncles, Kent Christensen and Gary Christensen.

A celebration of life and memorial with military honors will be held on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. in the Double R Ranch Room at BSU’s Stueckle Sky Center, 1910 W. University Drive. A visiting hour will take place prior from 10-11:00 A.M. with a reception following the memorial service.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Luke’s Hospice Foundation at 190 E. Bannock St., Boise, ID 83712.

The family would like to give special thanks to St. Luke’s Hospice and Christina Roman (Mitch’s private caregiver).

“Our dad taught us to be good, strong, hardworking and honest individuals, and to never be sorry for the space we take up.” We love you Dad, Kaitlyn and Meghan.