Arshalos Lucy Cunningham

Obituary Arshalos "Lucy" Cunningham, 85, passed away peacefully at Brookdale Manor in Carmel on Tuesday, December 18, after a long illness. One of seven siblings, she was born on January 1, 1933 to Jirar and Eleni Vutas Kataç. Of Greek and Armenian heritage, she was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, and was still living there at the time of her marriage in 1958 to Charles Edwin ("Eddy") Cunningham who was stationed in Istanbul while serving in the U.S. Navy. In 1959, daughter Helen was born and in 1960 the family made the first of many moves, being stationed in Morocco; Fort Meade, Maryland; Monterey, California; the Philippines; Germany; and finally, Monterey again. During these years the family travelled extensively across the US, Canada, and Europe. Settling in Pacific Grove in 1972, son Jerry was born that same year. During the ensuing years, Lucy was able to finish her schooling, obtaining an Associate of Arts degree from Monterey Peninsula College (MPC). This was something dear to her heart a she had had to leave school to work after her father died in 1955. She was an excellent photographer, created beautiful arrangements from flowers she grew in her garden and, over the years, experimented with many other creative outlets from ceramics, crafts, cake decorating, and home decorating to crotchet, sewing, and cooking. When she took art classes at MPC, she found her greatest talent lay in painting. She began with acrylics and oils but, as she perfected her craft, she became a true professional working with the watercolor medium. She opened first the Kismet Gallery in Monterey and later the Lucy Cunningham Gallery in Carmel. She was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, sister, and aunt, hosting many family gatherings at her home and gifting the family with so many opportunities to get together and be close as a family. She gave a great deal, always working tirelessly for others. She was a person of tremendous grace and beauty and she will be greatly missed. She is survived by her children, Helen (Tom) Heydeman and Jerry (Kimberly) Cunningham; grandchildren Matthew Heydeman and Riley and Kendall Cunningham; siblings Meline Karabetyan, Migir (Donna) Katac, Sona (Haygaz) Ohanoglu, and Virginia (Norman) Rees; and 8 nieces and nephews and their spouses, children, and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 36 years, Charles Edwin "Eddy" Cunningham, her parents, Jirar and Eleni Katac, two brothers, Hagop and Haig Katac, and her brother-in-law, Antranik Karabetyan. The funeral service will take place at 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, at the First United Methodist Church, 915 Sunset Drive, Pacific Grove. Burial and a reception will immediately follow at El Carmelo Cemetery and Point Pinos Grill, both in Pacific Grove. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Central Coast VNA and Hospice or the donor's favorite charity. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Arshalos Lucy Cunningham, please visit our floral store.