Kristi Eileen Cunningham Obituary
(How she spent her Dash)
Kristi chose to live her life simply, never materialistic. She was incredibly smart, strong in her faith and her relationship with God. Bree, her sister, was actually the one who was blessed to be able to baptize her. She was a headstrong and stubborn child (just ask Cindy and Mike,) but those very qualities got her through tough times as an adult. Kristi had beautiful fair skin with lovely long black curly hair that would frustrate her mother when she decided not to brush it.
She loved animals, especially her horse, Dealer, head strong and stubborn just like her. The two of them bonded instantly and we now know why. Dealer once broke the mirror on Kristi’s car just trying to get close to her as she blew him kisses. As a child she loved her roosters and geese who were known for going after everyone else but never came after Kristi. She had bonded with these headstrong birds, they found a companion who could understand them and they loved her.
She enjoyed visiting her Grandma Aggie in the summers. Kristi had fond memories of playing on the beach and going boogie boarding. She often talked about Grandma Aggie and how they would pick tomatoes together and work the earth. Kristi was an avid gardener who planted vegetables that grew huge. She loved involving her two little girls in planning and working her garden; she would tell you that she inherited her gardening knowledge from her grandmother.
Kristi married the love of her life, RJ Cunningham, on July 6, 2003. She loved her husband RJ and she would tell anyone “I would walk through Hell Fire for my husband because that is how much I love him”.
Kristi chose to be a mother and gave birth to amazing beautiful little girls, her two daughters Kaci and Kaylee. She enjoyed bringing her girls into everything she did. She was home-schooling them, she taught them to cook and bake, and most of all how to love. Many people would say that her home had a loving, welcoming, accepting feel. She would tell them “It’s not about the clean feet, it’s about making a loving home.”
Kristi had a special relationship with the people she loved. She loved spending time with her dad Mike. She considered herself to be his best friend. They would hike, go motor cycle riding and bicycle riding. Definitely two of a kind. Her sister Bree would often comment that Kristi was the one and only person who could set her straight when she needed it. Kristi knew what mattered in life. She and her brother Jimmy would conspire as children and as they became adults and parents themselves she opened her home to his family when needed. She loved her family. Kristi loved her mother Cindy, and as a mother herself, understood the selfless sacrifices a mother makes for a daughter. In many ways Kristi was much like her mom: her love for children, her love for animals, and her willingness to take in all that needed care and attention. Kristi loved children and would have taken in any child and love them as her own; she and her husband RJ were in the process of becoming foster parents.
Kristi and Melissa, her previous neighbor, were inseparable, as were their children. They were able to re-connect at a ballgame. As the dearest of friends often do they picked up as if no time had passed.
Erica, her new neighbor, was her best friend. She and Kristi would go on “girl trips” together with their kids and home schooled their children together.
Her friend Natasha was like a sister, and she and Kristi talked and texted every day. They prayed together and would send each other supporting scriptures daily. In addition to sharing their faith, they shared a love for thrills and adventures.
Kristi would tell you that because of her relationship with Jesus, and the fact that she knew Jesus was on her side and there for her daily, her anxiety and depression lifted. She often said she didn’t fear death because she knew when she died she would be home in heaven.
She cared about her God, she cared about other people, she cared about life. She was a completely beautiful Christian woman. We will miss her.