Obituary of Joao C. Cunha

Joao C. Cunha, 88, of Peabody, died peacefully Sunday morning at the Jeffrey and Susan Brudnick Center for Living following a long illness. He was the husband of the late Alexandrina Cunha who passed away in 1985. Born in Graciosa, Azores, Portugal on September 15, 1930, he was the son of the late Francisco Correia da Cunha and Maria Augusta de Mendonca. He was raised and educated in Portugal and later immigrated to the United States in 1973 where he settled in Peabody and has lived for the past 45 years. While living in Graciosa, Joao worked in the Wine industry and while living in Peabody, he worked in the leather industry and later for Bicknell Fuller before retiring in 1996. He enjoyed gardening, making wine, walking and watching soccer. He is survived by his daughter and son, Zelia and her husband Mark Malmquist of Topsfield, and Daniel and his wife Fallon Cunha of Peabody, his brother Arthur Cunha of Toronto, Canada, his sister, Vitalina Da Silva of Peabody and is also survived by five grandchildren, Joshua, Tyler, and Kaitlin Malmquist, and Alexandria and Lidia Cunha. He was predeceased by his siblings, Manuel and Gonsalves Cunha. His funeral will be held on Wednesday at 8:00 AM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 20 Church St, Peabody, followed by his Funeral Mass at 9:00 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Peabody to which relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday from 5:00 until 8:00 PM. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. Expressions of sympathy can be made in his name to the Alzheimer’ Association, 309 Waverly Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA 02452.