Joyce Barta (Bayersdorfer)

Thanks, Pat, for posting this.  Joyce

Linda Marmion (Linder)

  I have really enjoyed the class pictures that have been posted. Unfortunately,  mine have been lost.  However, there are a number of years that aren't included in those posted.  If any of you still have your class pictures, please post them. 
I went to Garden Oaks. If I am correct, we had two classes of each grade, plus we has one class of midtermers. Most of them stayed over an extra semester at Waltrip to graduate with the entire class of '65. 
  I look forward to seeing you when we get Ram Jams going this fall!

                                                                                                       Have a great summer,

                                                                                                       Linda Marmion Linder

Stephen Ray Puckett

I just learned that our beloved Suzie Cunningham was in a bad car wreck mid-day today and did not make it - Jim is in the hospital. I know of no other details at this time but will update you when we know more.

The class meant so much to her.  We'll miss her.  R.I.P., dear Suzie.

Steven Jay Stoneburner

So very sorry to hear about Suzie, Tom texted me last evening. Suzie was loved by so many and did so much for our class! Please keep us posted!!

Jay and MAry Jo 

Elizabeth Love (Kester)

Susie Cunningham will be missed!  She was one of the "spark"s who kept us informed and always feeling welcomed to each event after graduation!  Condolences to her family and all of her dear friends!

Dianna Dudley (Westmoreland)

RIP dear Suzie.   Such a treasure.

Patricia Bissonnet (Bissonnet)

Suzie was the heart and soul of our class.  Though she wasn't an official part of the reunion committee for our 60th reunion, she was a very important part, calling so many of you to encourage you to attend and auditing the registrations .  Without her help we would not have had so many attending. And then her health would not allow her to make the drive herself. The phone was her lifeline as her health declined.  I, for one, will miss her calls, which always began with, "Well--hello there!"  My heart breaks at the loss of this lovely woman.  

Sandy Spears (Koslosky-Siddall)

I am so sorry to hear of Suzie's passig.What will we do without her?

Linda Marmion (Linder)

My heart aches. Suzie and I became friends when we were in the same rank in the guard. Over the last years we worked together on reunions. I had just talked with Suzie about our next Ram Jam in October. We're all going to miss her. She would want us to continue our times together. 

Mary Adrienne Pendery (Critcher)

Suzie was the glue that held so many of our class activities together.  And such a dear person besides.  A heartbreaking loss for her family and our class.  

Karen Rouse (Corner)

What a sad loss!  Everyone liked Suzie.

Pamela Roesler (Lemoine)

What heartbreaking news. Suzie's reach was beyond the class of '65. She was my Centurion and, as a mid-termer, I stayed over to be an officer mostly because of her great leadership. We reconnected at class of '67 30th reunion and continued to text and email all these years. I will miss her love, compassion, and steady friendship.

Ann Robin Trimble (Haney)

Suzie did so much over the years to keep our Class of 65 connected. She was truly a golden thread that wove us together year after year....Reunions, Ram Jams, WOW lunches and phone calls just to check in with old class mates. This is a devastating loss for our close knit class. Let's all vow to continue to gather as often as we can to honor Suzie's spirit of togetherness and love that she demonstrated every opportunity she had for the past 60 years. My heart is so sad that we didn't get to see her in April at our reunion which she had planned to attend. I know she is most assuredly in the arms of the angels now. 

Tom Britton

What a shock that our Suzie was taken from us so quickly. She was one in a million...extra special. 

Hilda Carol Smith (Godell)

Richard Lee Rhea

A sad loss.  Suzie was so comitted to the class and her promptings by telephone certainly had an impact. She will be missed.

Genie Hackenjos (Kistler)

Absolutely reeling from the sad news about Suzie.  Not only were we "companions in crime" as we worked together on the Tribune Staff, but we were college roommates at Southwestern our freshman and sophomore years.  After I moved north, she and I would get in a visit whenever I was back in Houston visiting my mom.

And after my mom died, for as long as she was in Houston, Suzie placed flowers on my parents' graves every Memorial Day!  Such a tender memory.  We spoke soon after the last reunion, since neither of us was able to be there.  So glad for that loooooong phone visit! 

Anita Marbury (Marbury)

Suzie May Cunningham

We all love Suzie, and now it's time to share that love with Pam, her daughter. I will update the class when I know where and when Suzie's funeral will be scheduled.

Send a card or email to Pam. 

She needs to hear from all of you to fill the hole in her heart. 

Pam Sutton

11600 Trails End Road

Leander, Texas 78641 

pam.sutton@icloud.com

Sweetie Marbury

Pamela Roesler (Lemoine)

Thanks, Sweetie. Card in the mail today.

Jerry Russell

Suzie's loyalty and dedication were unparalleled. May God hold her close. 

Jeanne Spencer (Adams)

This is Jeanne Adams.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I received word that Pat Beckham passed away peacefully in her sleep - her husband found her Tuesday morning.  I was notified by my sister-in-law, who was Judy Stockton in school.  Hopefully we will learn more information.  She lived in Georgetown.  

Patricia Bissonnet (Bissonnet)

We've lost one more.  Val Burris passed away last November.  The following was posted on the University of Oregon, where he was a full professor.  

Professor Emeritus Val Burris passed away in Eugene on November 30th, 2024. He had had a stroke in July, had been in a care facility since then, and went into hospice care Thanksgiving week. Val was born May 8, 1947 and grew up in Texas. He started his position at the UO in 1978. He studied power structures and Marxist theory, with a particular interest in understanding how the ruling class maintains and wields power. Throughout his career he promoted a critical approach to sociological research, challenging elitism and injustice. He served as the editor of Critical Sociology from 1991-97. He is remembered for many contributions to UO Sociology, and I hope we can live up to his belief that rigorous social science is fully compatible with, and indeed essential for, critical sociology.

Talley Hudson

I met Suzie in kindergarten. We went to Garden Oaks, Black Jr. High and Waltrip together. I was in her wedding. We stayed in touch, and when I moved to Washington we would take turns paying for our long distance calls. And if you knew Suzie, some of those were long! I had my last conversation with her on Wednesday, June 25. We talked about all sorts of things, including some of our elementary school teachers. The next day I thought of something I forgot ask her, but thought I'd just ask her the next time we talked. Then came the call. I am not sure how to navigate through life without Suzie being part of it. She meant so much to so many; I hope she knew it.

Stephen Ray Puckett

Val Burris, his university photo.  R.I.P.

Patricia Bissonnet (Bissonnet)

Obituary for our dear friend Suzie.  I believe her daughter is waiting to do a memorial service until Suzie's partner, Jim, is well enough to attend.  

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mildred Sue May Cunningham, lovingly known as Suzie. Suzie passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, the 29th of June 2025, in Austin. She was 78 years of age.

Suzie was born in Houston, to Mildred F. Clough May and Holmes Alfred May. Suzie’s life was filled with warmth, dedication, and a deep affection for those fortunate enough to know her. She built her life upon a foundation of caring and unwavering support for her loved ones, friends, and former students.

Suzie attended Garden Oaks Elementary, Frank M. Black Jr. High, and graduated from Waltrip High School. During high school, she competed in Speech and debate, was editor of the Waltrip Tribune, President of Quill and Scroll, and Who's Who in Journalism, and Drill Centurion in the Imperial Guard. She was also on the original board of directors for the Imperial Guard Alumnae. Suzie graduated from Southwestern College and pledged Delta Zeta Sorority while attending college. She earned her master's degree from Texas Southern University.

Suzie became a teacher in Houston Independent School District (H.I.S.D.) as a Reading Specialist and taught at Lanier Jr. High in Houston. She made a difference in many lives as a reading teacher, while writing curriculum standards for H.I.S.D. during her teaching career. Suzie was President of Delta Kappa Gamma, which promotes professional and personal growth of women educators. Education was her focus in life.

Suzie married her high school sweetheart, William Richard Cunningham who later passed in 1977 at the early age of 30.

Suzie is survived by her partner, James “Jim” Dolezal; daughter, Pamela Katherine Cunningham Sutton, and son-in-law Neal Sutton. Survivors also include her sister-in-law, Carol May; nieces, April May Meneley, and Melody May; nephew, Philip May; Jim’s daughter, Jessica Dolezal Campbell and her husband Eric; and grandchildren, Emerson, and Dylan.

Suzie celebrates her homecoming with her parents, Mildred and Holmes, husband Richard, brother Harry May, and nephew Eric May.

After retirement, Suzie moved to La Grange, serving several years on the Fayette County Electric Co-Op Scholarship Committee and was a member of Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Plum, Texas.

Suzie was an organizer for the Waltrip High School reunions for over sixty years. A classmate said, "She was truly a golden thread that wove us together year after year". Another classmate said, "She was the spirit of Waltrip and a friend to all who knew her". Suzie loved to talk with family and friends in person and on the telephone and cherished those relationships. She never met a stranger. She always closed her conversations with, "Take really good care of yourself".

Her family and the many friends across the United States from high school and college will miss her caring soul.

More specific service details will be published at a later date.

In lieu of customary remembrances, thank a teacher.

George H. Lewis Funeral home.