Manuel C. Cunha, 96, died peacefully on Monday, March 23, 2009 after a brief illness, at the Nevins Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Methuen. A lifelong resident of Lawrence, he was the son of the late John and Catherine Cunha and the brother of the late Ezilda C. Lynch and Delia C. Cunha.
He is survived by nieces June Lynch Black, wife of Stephen Black, of Lawrence, and Paula Lynch Keogh, wife of Richard Keogh of Providence, RI; by grandnieces Theresa Black Taft of Revere, MA; April Black of Washington, DC; Sarah Keogh of Cranston, RI; and Megan Keogh of Portland, Maine. He also leaves great-grandnieces Alexandra Keogh and MacKenzie Roeder of Cranston, RI.
Mr. Cunha was a 1931 graduate of Lawrence High School and attended Haverhill Trade School. He worked as a doffer at the Pacific Mills when called to serve in WWII with Troop C of the 16th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron in Central Europe from 1944 to 1946. He retired from Raytheon, Co. in Waltham, MA in 1978 and enjoyed summers at his home at North Beach, Hampton, NH.
He attended Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Lawrence where he was a member of the Holy Ghost Society, and he was also a member of the Portuguese American Civic League Lawrence Men's Council.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 11:00 A.M. at the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 122 Amesbury St., Lawrence, MA. Burial will follow in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery, also in Lawrence. Family and friends may call on Saturday morning from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice. To send an online condolence or for more information, please go to www.breenfuneralhome.com.