John B. “Jack” Cunningham, 67, a retired banker and insurance broker, died Wednesday, Jan. 30, in his Evergreen Park home of lung cancer. Raised on the South Side, Mr. Cunningham was a soprano in the Paulist Choristers boys choir of Old St. Mary’s Church. He met his wife, Dorothy, while working for Chicago Bears owner George Halas. The couple married in 1957 while Mr. Cunningham was serving in the U.S. Army. In 1958, Mr. Cunningham took a job as a teller at Marquette National Bank, and in his 25 years with the bank, worked his way up to a vice president. He worked at the First National Bank of Cicero for a time, then moved to First Security Planners, where he helped banks with insurance plans for about 10 years. In 1996, he started his own business, Cunningham Financial Services, continuing to work with banks on insurance matters. He retired in 1999. Mr. Cunningham continued singing in church choirs most of his life. He was named a man of the year in 1987 by the Sons of Italy Evergreen Park Lodge, which he helped with financial matters. “He used his background in finance to help a lot of people,” said his wife. Other survivors include two daughters, Kathleen Kalata and Maria Young; four sons, David, Jeffrey, Jack and Thomas; two sisters, Roseanne McGovern and Marita Spirko; two brothers, Gerald and Bernard; and eight grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday in Kenny Brothers Funeral Home, 3600 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park. Mass for Mr. Cunningham will be said at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 9525 S. Lawndale Ave., Evergreen Park.
