Eugene Paul Sr. CUNNEELY Obituary

May 24, 1929 - Mar 14, 2026

Eugene Paul Cunneely Sr. passed away on March 14th, 2026. He was preceded in death by his wife, Alice; and daughters, Mary Elizabeth and Kathleen Anne. He is survived by his three sons, Eugene Jr. and wife, Kathy; son, James and wife, Gail; and son, Michael and wife, Amie. Gene and Alice have nine grandchildren: Eugene III (Mallory), Kanani (Micah), Collin, Rachel, Grace Marie, Michael, Connor, Casey, and Brendan (Kaylee). He also has six great-grandchildren: Ellis, Charlotte, Quinn, Talon, Calvary, and Lorelei Kate.

Eugene was born in New York City on May 24th, 1929, to Joseph Laurence and June Margaret (Bernhardt) Cunneely. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, Long Island, on a Merit Scholarship. He graduated from Fordham University in 1951 while participating in the ROTC program. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and began an Air Force career as a fighter pilot that spanned 26 years. He flew a combat tour in Korea in the F-86 Sabre Jet. His flying career included over 5,000 hours, all flown in advanced fighter jets. He flew the F-86 Sabre, the T-33 Shooting Star, the F-102 Delta Dagger, the F-106 Delta Dart, and the F-5 Tiger. While stationed in Colorado Springs in the '60s, he was on the Air Force's ORI Inspection team. In 1968, he led the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron from McChord AFB, Tacoma, Washington, across the Pacific Ocean to South Korea in response to North Korea's taking of the Navy ship the USS Pueblo. In 1970, he became the commander of the 95th Fighter Squadron at Dover, AFB, Delaware, flying the F-106 Delta Dart in protection of the Washington, DC sector. In 1972-1973, he served as chief military advisor to the Royal Saudi Air Force, stationed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. From 1973 to 1977, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff of Plans and Manpower for the Alaskan Air Command. In that position, he conceived a program with the acronym MAR for minimally attended radar. The radar sites are still in operation and have produced hundreds of millions in annual dollar savings with improved "Top Cover" defense effectiveness for Alaska. He retired from the Air Force at the grade of Colonel in 1977 and was awarded the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster.

In September 1977, he was employed by Gonzaga University in the office of University Relations as a grant writer. By November, Cunneely took over management of the Great Teacher's Program due to the illness of Sam Grashio, the former director. Over the 15 years he worked for the university, he was involved in all aspects of the expansion of the development office. In the 14 years managing the Great Teacher's Program, he and his staff, plus volunteers, never failed to achieve their annual goal. In 1983, Cunneely was given the added responsibility of leading the university's athletic fund-raising program. Working closely with popular coach and athletic Director Dan Fitzgerald, he was instrumental in revitalizing the Bulldog Club and the initiation of the very successful annual Bulldog Club golf tournaments. In 1985, he was given the additional responsibility of leading the development program for the Gonzaga Law School. Other programs initiated by Cunneely included founding the President's Council Board, the huge success of student/alumni tele funds, the promotion of senior support group campus events, and the computerization of the university's gift accounting and acknowledgment system. In 1980, he coached the University's hockey team. For three years, Cunneely served as an adjunct instructor in the university's School of Business Administration, teaching classes in business communications. During his tenure at Gonzaga, over $27 million was raised in annual fund gifts. He retired from Gonzaga in 1992. In 1999, he was the recipient of the University's Bulldog Club Service Award.

He and his wife, Alice, were season ticket holders at the Zag basketball games and traveled to see the team play at many of the WCC and NCAA Tournaments. They took advantage during his retired years of traveling to foreign lands such as Ireland, France, England, Italy, Germany, and Spain. In the mid-1960's, Alice and Gene bought waterfront property on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, where they have a vacation cabin. The Cunneely Family continues to spend its summers at their getaway place on this beautiful lake. In retirement, Gene Cunneely volunteered in various charities, including St. Paschal School, the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, his alma mater, Chaminade High School, and Mater Dei Institute. He was a member of the Order of Daedalians and a lifetime member of the Air Force Association and the Military Officers Association of America. Gene was a parishioner of Mary Queen Parish. Gene's wishes were met as he passed away in his home, surrounded by family, on a glorious Saturday morning.

A Mass in his honor will be on Wednesday, March 25th, at 10:00 AM at Mary Queen Parish. Gene would appreciate donations made in his name to the Nazareth Guild for local Catholic Schools.