Brian Patrick Cunningham, 71, of Milford, Connecticut, died on July 29, 2024, after a long illness. Born in Mineola, New York, on July 17, 1953, to Patrick and Helen (Malinowski) Cunningham, Brian first came to Connecticut to attend Fairfield University, where he earned a degree in Economics in 1977. While at Fairfield University, he met Maureen Spangle, his future wife.

After graduation, Brian began his career at General Electric in Bridgeport followed by Black & Decker, where his work took him to Mexico, Brazil, Singapore and Ireland. He enjoyed working with colleagues there and was often invited to join in their celebrations. He, in turn, relished the opportunity with Maureen, to host colleagues from around the world at his home in Milford. After becoming a customs broker, he worked for Philips Electronics, Thomson Electric, Haier and Pitney Bowes. Throughout his life Brian was excited about the world, about new places and people, and he used his career to feed that excitement at every opportunity.

Brian loved golf, coin collecting, barbecuing and his dog Jake. He spent many hours at the Eisenhower Dog Park and knew the names of all of the dogs, though none of their owners. At the barbecue, he steadfastly refused to use a gas grill. He was a charcoal man, which he invariably ignited by dousing the unlit coals with a liberal dose of 87 octane. The column of fire was always something to behold, though a bit terrifying to the uninitiated. “Lights every time,” he would quip.

Brian did his own home repairs and remodeling, and on the weekends, he could usually be found working on whatever project his wife deemed necessary, making trips to Home Depot and wishing that he had a nice lawn. When Maureen started a restaurant, he pitched in to make tables, repair chairs and even wash dishes. Mostly self taught–and with a tight budget–Brian could frequently be heard slighting Norm Abrams, the master carpenter on the New Yankee Workshop. “Pretty good work,” he would concede, “but he’s got half a million dollars worth of tools in that shed!” He became quite good at many aspects of carpentry, though the skills of taping drywall eluded him throughout his days.

Brian cherished time with his kids, taking them to “feed the duckies” and standing them on his shoulders in the pool when they were young. Affectionately, he called Owen Gus, after the fat mouse from Cinderella. Aislinn was Ski, shortened from Aislinski - a nod to their Polish heritage; and later on Dude, after she once referred to Brian as such. He never hesitated to enlist Owen in home repairs, and enjoyed waking Aislinn with early Saturday morning phone calls when she was away at college. They loved him very much.

He maintained an impressive archive of both useful and useless information. He often shared clues from the New York Times crossword and frequently quizzed all members of the family on the Spanish he’d picked up over the years, “¿Cómo se dice meatballs en español?” To the silence that would usually follow, he would proclaim the answer with vigor, “Albóndigas!”

Both Owen and Aislinn moved away after college, to San Francisco and New Orleans respectively. While he missed both of them, Brian supported their decisions, championed their careers, and delivered yearly reminders to do their taxes. Most importantly, when he visited, he got to sample the local oyster selection.

Brian was an amiable man, known for his quick wit and quiet generosity. He showed up during the illnesses of his brother, his father, and his sister-in-law and had a knack for bringing exactly the right kind of cheer. He expressed his love for his family, not with words but with his actions and asked for nothing in return. He will be greatly missed.

Brian is survived by his wife Maureen Cunningham of Milford, his son Owen Cunningham (Jennifer Lawson) and grandson Patrick Cunningham of San Francisco, CA; his daughter Aislinn Cunningham (Michael Zamzam) and granddogs, Jana and Morty of New Orleans, LA; his mother Helen Cunningham of Mineola, NY; his brother Donald Cunningham of Bronx, NY; his sister Debra Letourneau (John) of Centerport, NY. his nephew JP Letourneau of Brooklyn NY, his niece Jamie Letourneau of Brooklyn, NY, his brother Patrick Cunningham Jr(Anne-deceased) of Rockledge, FL, his nephew Thomas Cunningham(Melissa), his grand nephew Matthew Cunningham, his grand nephew Ryan Cunningham of Oceanside, NY, his nephew Patrick Cunningham III of Rockledge, FL, his niece Kelsey Artus(William), his grand nephew Connor Artus and his grand niece Corianne Artus of Cocoa, FL.

A funeral Mass will be held on October 12, 2024 at 11:00 am at Christ the Redeemer Church, 325 Oronoque Rd, Milford , CT. A celebration of life will follow at 307 West River Street, Milford, CT.

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