Patricia Ann Cunningham

patricia cunningham

June 17, 1946 ~ May 23, 2026

Born in: Rochester, NY
Resided in: Hendersonville, NC

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With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our mother, Patricia Anne (Battisti)
Cunningham, on May 23, 2026, just weeks before her 80th birthday. She left us after a
determined and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Patti will be remembered as strong, fiercely determined, and delightfully stubborn. Patti grew up in Bath, NY, and then split her adult life between Upstate New York and North Carolina. Patti dedicated her career to the service of others, starting her journey as a registered nurse and an Army Reserve nurse. She later earned her Master’s in Nursing from UNC Chapel Hill and concluded her impactful career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner with the Veterans Administration.

As a mother, grandmother, and friend, Patti was always the first to say “yes!” to mostly
everything. She had a deep appreciation for good food, fine wine, music, art, and culture. A creative cook, she never used a recipe, ensuring no dish ever tasted the same way twice. Patti loved nature and spent countless hours walking in the woods with her naughty dogs, foraging for mushrooms, digging in the dirt with her flowers, and swimming in her beloved Keuka Lake.

Her bright smile, genuine curiosity, and zest for life will live on through her daughters, Kelly and Gretchen, her granddaughters, and her many friends. Her spirit will forever be remembered in the bluebirds and dogwood trees native to the Western North Carolina mountains where she spent the final chapter of her life.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, August 30th, 2026, at the Warren Wilson Cemetery in Swannanoa, NC.

Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.

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  1. So sorry for your loss. My husband, Michael Johnston and I were high school friends with your mom.
    She was in my husband’s class of 1964 and I was in 1965. She will be greatly missed.

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