Obituary of Donna Mae Cunningham

Donna Mae Cunningham (73) resident of St. Maries, ID, died February 28, 2017 in St. Maries. She was born Sept. 27, 1943 to Harvey and Nellie (Marlett) Skeels in Chewelah, WA. Donna grew up on the family homestead on Skeels Road at Addy, WA. She attended schools in Colville and Chewelah, WA. In 1968, she moved to Spokane, WA and worked as a CNA at Lakeland Village in Medical Lake, WA. Donna met Jim Cunningham in January of 1969. They were married November 8, 1969 in Coeur d’ Alene, ID. The couple made their home in St. Maries. In 1971, Donna went to work for Valley Vista Care Center. She worked in various areas of the complex before becoming a Nurses Aide. Donna and her daughter Pam attended NIC School of Nursing at the same time. Donna received her LPN degree in 1987. She worked as a LPN at Valley Vista and then went to work for Benewah Community Hospital. Donna worked back and forth between both places until her retirement in 2009. In her retirement, Donna and Jim enjoyed wintering in Parker, AZ. They enjoyed going on 6 cruises to the Mexican Rivera and one cruise to Alaska. Donna and Jim were family hosts to 11 foreign exchange students here in St. Maries. They visited a two of their students for their weddings, one in Germany and the other in the Philippines. Donna loved crocheting and was an avid reader of historical and faith based books, her favorite being the Bible. Donna is survived by her husband Jim at the family home, son Jay Cunningham of St. Maries and daughter and son-in-law Pam and Mark Bertram of Post Falls, ID. Also surviving are her brothers Al, Tim, and Randy Skeels all of Colville, WA , Tommy Skeels of Lewiston, ID, and her sister Annette Watson of Springdale, WA , 5 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister Mona Tweedy and brothers Chet, Harvey Dean, and Donald Skeels. A celebration of Donna’s life will be Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Maries Assembly of God Church with Pastor Lynn Peters officiating. A gathering of family and friends will follow services in the Fellowship hall of the church.