Obituary of Mark Allan Cunningham

Mark Allan Cunningham, 65, of Colorado Springs, died February 28, 2020 from injuries sustained in a one-vehicle accident in Santa Cruz County, California.�� A Memorial Service will be held 11:00AM, Friday, September 4, 2020 at First Lutheran Church, 1515 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907. Seating is limited. If you plan to attend, please notify the church office at 719-632-8836. The service may also be viewed via livestream by going to Youtube.com and typing "First Lutheran Church Colorado Springs" into the search engine.Mark was born on December 11, 1954 in Nebraska. He was the only child of Lemoyne and Lucille Cunningham. They lived in Wayne, Nebraska and Blair, Nebraska before moving to Colorado Springs in 1970 for Lemoyne's health. Mark attended Wayne State College in Nebraska, and later transferred to Colorado State University where he finished his bachelor's degree in management in 1979.In Colorado Springs, the family founded the West One Group, redeveloping and operating neglected residential and commercial properties in west Colorado Springs. West One reached an under-served population, and Mark felt it was important to be respectful of the area's historical architecture in their remodeling efforts. He was named one of the Top 25 Influential People in Commercial and Residential Real Estate by the Colorado Springs Business Journal in 2001. Mark loved Colorado, and the Colorado Springs community. He helped establish a local bicycle ride called the Starlight Spectacular, and worked with the non-profit, the Trails and Open Space Coalition, for many years. He also served on boards and committees including the Red Rocks Canyon Committee, and a citywide zoning code task force. Music was another love of Mark's. Friends remember that Thanksgiving meant an email referencing the song "Alice's Restaurant." Since the late 1970s, his Christmas cards included the gift of a tape or CD. The playlist was a collection of what he had been listening to that year, always including a cameo from Neil Young.��He was devoted to his parents, family, and friends. He often traveled back to Nebraska for family get-togethers and special events, and he was visiting friends in California at the time of his death. Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Lemoyne in 1990, and Lucille in 2019. He is survived by his fianc�, Jane Rose; two aunts, Irlavere Joyce Allgood of Idaho and Arlene Cunningham Louden of California; and many cousins and good friends.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mark's memory may be made to the First Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, https://firstlutheranhaywardwi.org/giving/ Events Memorial Service Friday, September 4, 2020 11:00AM First Lutheran Church 1515 N. Cascade Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80907 Phone: 719-328-1793