Uncle Len was a soft spoken man and it seems that he always thought before he spoke. What amazed me was the way he glided through the bush. I was working for him on a project in Cobalt where we integrated the underground workings to the surface fabric. He took me for a walk in the bush and after about an hour I was full of sweat. He was cool as a cucumber and asked me if I was ill. He was about 65 at the time and I was half his age. Amazing, really. D’Arcy
LEONARD CUNNINGHAM,
2021
Leonard Joseph (Len) Cunningham passed away in the solace of his home April 5, 2011. He was 91 years old. He was an engaging and intelligent man, warm, courteous, generous and possessed with a quiet sense of humor. He was born in Cobalt and with the exception of his stint in the army during WWII, he was a mining man his whole life. He was determined as a young man to attend university, and graduated as a Mining Engineer from Queen’s University in 1943. He was particularly attracted to the mining potential of northern Ontario, and though he travelled from time to time in his profession to other parts of the world, he always returned to northern Ontario. Prior to becoming a consultant in 1965, he enjoyed interesting careers with mining companies in Peru, Cobalt and Gowganda. He joined Heath & Sherwood Diamond Drilling in 1960 and moved his family to Kirkland Lake. He derived great fulfillment from his consulting business. He wrote many well received reports on the geology of the area, and his 1985 reports on abandoned mine sites and hazards in the Cobalt and Kirkland Lake camps continue to be a valuable mining and government resource. He was a proud member of the Board of Directors of Queenston Mining Inc for many years, and continued to be an active participant in mineral exploration, albeit more quietly, in his later years. The mining industry has lost a respected colleague and mentor. Working in the bush suited him perfectly because he was a man who needed to walk. He was a familiar figure on the many trails around the Kirkland Lake area and the streets of his neighborhood. He continued to walk every day right up until 4 days before his death. He became an avid cross country skier in mid-life and even managed to get out a couple of times this past winter. In June 2008 he survived a near-fatal encounter with c.difficile. This slowed him down considerably, but did not deter him from pursuing his interests and passions. One of those passions was travelling and he and his wife Jo travelled extensively until her death in 2008. He had a wish to see the Dempster Highway in the Yukon where his son Mike was working, and in July 2009, just prior to his 89th birthday, he did just that. He was also predeceased by his brothers Pie and Wilf,; sisters Audrey (Bill Brosko, Noranda) and Anne (John Damiani, Cobalt); his grandson Chal Ladouceur, good outdoors friends Doug Cooper and Blaine Vallier, and a life-long friend and colleague Frank Aimone. Left to remember him fondly are his four children: Linda (Ron Magee), Shay, Maurie (Jon Antonides) and Michael; his grandchildren Denis Ladouceur, William Cunningham, Jasmyn Cunningham and Jon Cunningham; his sister-in-law Joy Cunningham, the Cunningham, Brosko, Damiani and Ryan nieces and nephews, and good friends Murray Macquarrie, Mike Newman, Hugh Harbinson, John Arnold, Charlie Page, Martine Francoeur, Linda Ladouceur, Sam Adair, his colleagues and friends at the Ontario Mines Branch and Queenston Mining Inc, and many more. So many people have been supportive and kind. A special thank-you to the BDR pharmacy staff for their excellent support, Dr. Goddard, ER, VON, Veterans Affairs Canada , and all the other medical personnel involved in his care these past 2.5 years. The family could not have taken care of him at home without their support. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. from the Monette & French Funeral Home (450 Government Road West, Kirkland Lake, ON., P2N 3L1). Len generously supported local organizations his whole life, and the family would be honored if you donated to a cause of your choice in his name.Offer Condolence for the family of Leonard Cunningham