Miles E. Cunat Jr., age 72, died peacefully on Feb. 4, 2002. A Riverside Township resident since 1934, Mr. Cunat was retired as office counsel from Chicago Title and Trust Company. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Brookfield, 3545 McCormick Ave., of which he was a charter member and elder. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery. Miles graduated from Riverside-Brookfield High School in the Class of 1948, where he was president of the Student Council. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Brown University in 1952 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1956. He was a staff attorney for both the Pullman Company and the Belt Railway Company before joining Chicago Title and Trust in the early 1960’s. He was an active Republican having served in 1951-52 as a member of the National Young Republican College Executive Committee. A dedicated activist, he was Treasurer of the Riverside GOP organization from 1966-68. Mr. Cunat served from 1964 to 1972 (Chairman 1968 to 1970) as a member of the Brookfield Planning Commission and from 1972 to 1977 on the Brookfield Zoning Board. He was also an elected member of the Riverside/Brookfield Board of Education, 1965 to 1971. He was an elected Trustee from 1973 to 1981, of the Presbytery of Chicago and from 1978 to 1981 he was Presbytery treasurer. He was, over the years, a member of the Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations and the Bohemian Lawyers Association. Miles had been seriously ill for six and a half years. He fought his battle with a positive attitude. He was given the greatest gift during those years with the love of three friends who visited him weekly. They made his time in the nursing home a home away from home. Miles is survived by his wife of 25 years, Rita; and by six children, Rita (William) Landreth, Colleen (Dean) Toriumi, David and Steven (Kathy) Sheehan, David (Marybeth) Cunat and John Cunat. He had six grandchildren who he adored, Hannah, Olivia, Emma, Cohn, Sophia and Aubrey. Visitation Friday, Feb. 8 from 3 to 9 p.m. at Ivins Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside. In lieu of flowers, donations to Riverside-Brookfield High School Library, Ridgewood and First Ave., Riverside, IL 60546. Funeral info, 708-447-2261 .
