Patricia Gay Cunningham:

A kind, loving, caring best friend, sister, mother, grandmother, and aunt.

She had a tremendous will to live and was chronically happy (her own words). Born on November 21st, 1949 to John and Isobel Cunningham, she was the second baby, a preemie, whose customary saying as a youngster was: ‘fast as me can’. She left us on March 23, 2024, after a year’s long battle with cancer.

Her gentle, sweet presence will be sorely missed by all. How courageously and uncomplainingly she fought to live… with a cheerful, warm smile to all, a bright word, open arms, and unfailing generosity. She is now released from pain and sprouting wings of the angel she ever was when with us.

Patricia (a.k.a. ‘Guggy” or “Gay” to her public-school classmates) completed her arts degree at Ontario College of Art in Toronto and went on to produce fine art for a time, then worked as a commercial artist and ended her career in customer service for over 20 years at ACI in Vaughan.

Patricia is survived by son and wife, Matthew and Hannah Barkey and their twin sons Odin and Abel, sister, Joyce, brother John Malcom (Mac) and wife Patty and their grown children, Jessie Cunningham and Daniel Gallagher, Dylan and Holly Cunningham (with three lively little girls) and Emily Cunningham and Andrew Zorgdrager.

Patricia loved gardening and flowers bloomed willingly under her green thumb. Her artistic love of colour and shape stood out loud and clear whenever she decorated or had a paint brush in her hand to spruce up a room. In such a room, Joyce would nail things to the wall with a skillet, Patricia would calmly measure and remeasure to find the purrrfect spot on the wall. She enjoyed travelling, and Joyce and Patricia explored the south of France and Japan together.

Deeply religious, Patricia attended the online Plainfield Christian Science Church Independent, New Jersey, and often gave stirring testimonials of healings that had happened in her life. Patricia’s delicious cooking often put Joyce to shame, but the latter never complained when gobbling down Patricia’s mouthwatering food.

Please join us in the celebration of our gentle Patricia’s long and full life. We invite you to share your memories of her, add photos and/or videos, and tell us about your times with Patricia and your sweet memories of her.