We received word from Media Cunningham, that her husband,  Bill “B. W.” Cunningham, of Big Spring, Texas, died on April 13, 2012. His obituary from the Big Spring Herald is printed below. Our condolences to Marie and the rest of their family.

Billy Wayland “B. W.” Cunningham, 78, of Big Spring died April 13, 2012, in Midland Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Monday, April 16, 2012, at the Birdwell Lane Church of Christ with Ralph Anderson officiating. Interment will follow at Trinity Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home.

B. W. was born May 4, 1933, in Big Spring to Floyd Raymond and Edna (Hudgins) Cunningham and graduated from Big Spring High School in 1951. He married Media Meek on Aug. 5, 1948 and began working for the Permian Basin Gas Company.

After working only a short period for the gas company, he started work with Texas and Pacific Railroad and within a few months he transferred to Fort Worth. Working for the railroad only a few short years, he searched and found a job with Cosden Oil Refinery in Big Spring. He retired from American Petrofina in the spring of 1974.

Cunningham served as an elder at the Anderson Street Church of Christ from 1980 until 2005. He began serving as an elder at the Birdwell Lane Church of Christ in 2007. He remained a strong member and elder until his death.

Except for a few years in Fort Worth, Cunningham was a member of the Big Spring community his whole life. Asked many times why he didn’t move somewhere with more opportunity, he answered, “I never lost anything there.”

Cunningham was proud to be a member of the Big Spring community, and especially enjoyed meeting and worshiping the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ among members of the Big Spring Churches of Christ. Known as a strong Christian and Bible teacher, he was liked and loved by all who knew him.

His favorite activities — Bible studies, family, Texas history, West Texas history, military history, world history, firearms and sports — took his leisure time. Raising cattle on land north of Big Spring after moving from 14th Street in the city was a favorite past-time. He spent most, if not all, of his charitable and social time with the members of the Churches of Christ.

Cunningham leaves this life with many achievements and few, if any, disappointments. If asked about his finest achievement, he would no doubt say, “Raising and providing for my family, from sons, daughter, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons and great-granddaughters, and their families in the Christian Church and according to God’s will, is my finest achievement.”

His humor often included many stories about his ancestors, those he know as well as those remembered by the Cunningham, Hudgins and Dangler families of West Texas.

Bill Cunningham is survived by his wife, Media Meek Cunningham of Big Spring; two sons, James Cunningham and wife, Florinda of Virginia and Danny Cunningham and wife, Debbie of Midland; a daughter, Brenda (Cunningham) Lawson and husband, Doyle of Big Spring; four grandchildren, Brian and Rick Cunningham and Stephen Lawson and Theresa Lawson Thompson; and four great-grandchildren, Avery, Rylan and Colton Cunningham and Emily Thompson; and too many friends to mention.

Arrangements under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory of Big Spring. Online condolences can be made at: www.npwelch.com

Copyright © 2012 The Big Spring Herald | 710 Scurry Street | Big Spring, TX 79721 | (432) 263-7331

Reference: Dinglers of the South
Edna Hudgins Cunningham, 1-4-4-11-5-2, p. 321

Gail Stephenson Gurley sent us an email recently to let us know that her mother, Wylodene Dingler Stephenson, passed away last year. Here is Gail’s email:

My Mother, Wylodene Dingler Stephenson passed away May 26th, 2010. She was the daughter of Walter & Latha Dover Dingler. My Father, Ethridge F. Stephenson passed away in 1997.

She passed away (in Oneonta, Alabama, her Hometown for most of her life) after a relatively brief illness.

She loved to go to the Dingler Reunions. She was 80 yrs old & would have been 81 on July 5th, 2010. We have the Dingler Reunion Tea Cup (1990) when the reunion was in Tyler, Tx. Also the Dinglers of the South Book. They were her treasures. She did go to the Reunion in Marietta, Ga. (I believe in 2009), my sisters took her that last time. She was beginning to be in frail health at that time.

Her sisters & brother are:
Evelyn Dingler Vaughn – Texas
Sue Dingler Mitchell – Rome, Ga. (Deceased)
Kay Dingler Jacobs – Rome, Ga.
Fay Dingler Wilson – Florida (Deceased)
Bob Dingler (Deceased)

Here is Wylodene’s obituary from the Blount Countian:

WYLODENE DINGLER STEPHENSON, 81, of Oneonta, died May 26, 2010, at her residence. A native of Cullman, she was daughter of the late John Walter and Latha Dover Dingler and widow of Ethridge F. Stephenson. She was a member of Allgood Presbyterian Church. Others predeceasing her were sisters Frances Sue Mitchell, Fay Wilson, Lucille Dingler; and brother Robert Dingler.

Surviving are sons Early Wayne (Denise) Stephenson, Oneonta, and James A. Stephenson, Hayden; daughters Margaret Gail (Steve) Gurley, Esther Fay Hicks, and Anne Kay Stephenson, all of Oneonta; sisters Evelyn (Howard) Vaughn, Texas, and Catherine Jacobs, Georgia; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Lawrence King officiated services Friday, May 28, at 2 p.m. at Valley Chapel of Oneonta. Interment followed at Green’s Chapel Cemetery, Cleveland. Pallbearers were Jeff Stephenson, Michael Wayne Byars, John Stephenson, Charles Lecroy, Brad Pannell, and Brandon Gilliland. Honorary pallbearers were Curtis Cagle and Anthony Wayne Latta.

Reference: Dinglers of the South
Walter Dingler, 1-1-9-1-1-5, p. 167
Lucille Dingler, 1-1-9-1-1-5-2, p. 167
Evelyn Dingler Vaughn, 1-1-9-1-1-5-3, p. 180
Wylodene Dingler Stephenson, 1-1-9-1-1-5-4, p. 180
Francis Sue Dingler Mitchell, 1-1-9-1-1-5-5, p. 180
Kathleen Dingler Jacobs, 1-1-9-1-1-5-6, p. 180
Faye Dingler Wilson, 1-1-9-1-1-5-7, p. 180
James Walter Dingler, 1-1-9-1-1-5-8, p. 180

We learned today that Robert Kennedy passed away October 1, 2010, in Crystal River, Florida.  Robert was the husband of Ramona Denney Kennedy.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Ramona and their family.

His obituary is no longer availalbe online as it has been archived.  If someone has a copy, however, please pass it along and we will post it here.

Reference: Dinglers of the South

Ramona Denney Kennedy, 1-6-1-2-6-6-2, p. 471

Steve Coburn passed along word of his mother’s death on July 28.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve and the rest of his family.

You can read the text of her obituary at the Muskogee Phoenix web site. She was the daughter of Hubert and Esther (Davis) Dingler which makes her a descendant of John Dingler, Jr.

The family would like to thank Dr. Ong and the staff of MRMC and Solara Hospital for her care. Memorials may be made to York Street Christina Church, 1125 S. York, Muskogee OK 74403, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Oklahoma Chapter, 500 N. Broadway Ave., Suite 250, Oklahoma City OK 73102 or the charity of your choice.

Friends may send condolences to the family on the web page www.bradleyfuneralservice.com.