Susan Clare Cunningham

Susan Clare Cunningham, age 63 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, went home to the arms of her Lord on Saturday, June 24, 2017 surrounded by her loving family under the wonderful care of Hunterdon Hospice.

Born on September 11, 1953 in Plainfield, NJ, daughter of the late Roy and Clara Sanguiliano Gillikin, she was raised in Scotch Plains and had lived in Bridgewater, NJ before moving to the Raritan Township section of Ringoes, NJ in 1999.

Sue obtained her Teaching Degree, a Bachelors in Elementary Education, from Caldwell College then earned her Masters in Library Service from Rutgers University. She taught at the East End School, North Plainfield, NJ and from 1999-2014, was the Librarian at the Whitehouse School, Whitehouse, NJ.

Jim Henson once said, “Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” Sue was the epitome of what anyone who went to school and had a favorite teacher, remembers about why they were their favorite teacher; they inspired and drove people to be the best versions of themselves. That’s what Sue did and still does with her legacy; she inspires people to be better to themselves and to one another. She dedicated herself to her students as well as to her colleagues and the educational system. Striving to always make things better, Sue was always on the forefront of initiatives to make the education experience better for all involved.

Sue was not only a leader at school, but was also the family matriarch in many ways, even at her young age. Her kind and caring soul was the glue that helped keep her big family united. This soul was rooted in an extremely strong faith in God and his love for her and all of his children.

Essentially, Sue was everyone’s “Mom.” Fiercely loyal, she was one of the most forgiving people out there, and her children recall many of their friends going to Sue with a problem or issue because she always saw the good in everyone, and would help them with whatever was going on.

Among her many accomplishments was becoming a Gold Star Girl Scout, which is the highest rank you can achieve in the program. She was also a troop leader for many years and her amazing sense of humor helped to inspire many generations of young women to serve their communities to the best of their ability.

Sue was also very patriotic and was a very proud United States Marine Corps Mom. Together with her husband, she volunteered tirelessly for Operation Jersey Cares, a volunteer organization whose mission is to help our troops overseas as well as the returning Soldiers and Marines who have been wounded in combat. Her passion has helped countless soldiers and their families and the imprint she has left will help countless others.

She was a longtime communicant of St. Magdalen Church, Flemington, NJ and never pushed her faith on anyone; she was passionate about her beliefs and encouraged others to read and learn and discover faith for themselves; in the end, she just wanted people to be good to one another and tried to be, as St. Francis said, an instrument of God’s peace.

To talk of Sue, one can not help but think of her husband, Thomas. The two were a match made in the heavens and Tom fondly recalled that he told her on their first date that he was going to marry her. As he joked, that was about the only thing he was ever right about. The two were a team, and defined what a true partner is and should be; they were loving and loyal to each other, and Tom took care of Sue every moment of each day, and was holding her hand as she slipped from this world to the reward waiting for her in Heaven.

It is important to note that Sue never gave the horrible disease known as ALS an inch. She fought with everything she had and never let her illness define her. She kept her dignity and control all the way through that part of her journey here on Earth.

Though Sue’s physical presence is gone, she would want people to take solace in that fact that she is in a place where there is no pain, no sorrow, and no sadness. She would want everyone reading this to continue with their lives knowing that one day you will see her again in that same place. She would want you to continue to strive to be kinder and more loving to one another, and to remember that the children are our future, so teach them and treat them well, always.

Surviving are her husband of thirty-three years, Thomas R. Cunningham, with whom she joined hands in marriage on May 27, 1984 in St. Bartholomew’s Church, Scotch Plains, NJ; her son and daughter-in-law, Captain Thomas W. R. Cunningham, USMC and his wife, Katherine Cunningham, currently stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; her daughter, Mary Kathleen and her husband, Stephen Myers of Annandale, NJ; her siblings and their spouses, Michael Gillikin, Barbara and Eugene Seiter, Joanne and Claude Owen, Brian Gillikin, Gerald Gillikin and his wife, Linda Crane-Gillikin and Mary Clare Savoia; her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and their spouses, George and Dawn Cunningham and Patricia and Jerry Gordon; and numerous extended family and many devoted and loyal friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Monsignor Randall Vashon on Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, 316 Old Allerton Road, Annandale, NJ under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ 08822.

Burial will immediately follow in the parish cemetery located on Church grounds.

Susan will lie in repose on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. and 6:00-9:00 p.m. as well as on Thursday June 29, 2017 from 8:30-9:15 a.m. at the funeral home.

Please visit Susan’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com to send a public or private message of condolence and to share stories and photographs of her life.

Memorial contributions may be made to either the ALS Association, Greater New York Chapter, 42 Broadway, Suite 1724, New York, NY 10004 or to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, 516 North Adams Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301.