Elinor Lee Cunniff, 51, went to be with the Lord on January 10, 2015. She was surrounded by her family at her bedside after a courageous battle with cancer.
She was born in Decatur, Georgia and as a child moved several times before putting down permanent roots in Virginia Beach. She graduated from Kellam High School where she enjoyed being in the Drum Major for the Kellam Marching Knights. After high school, she attended James Madison University and was a member of the ZTA sorority.
Elinor held a variety of management positions. She started her career at Lynnhaven Mall, worked at Victoria Secret, Disney World, Bank of America, AAA, Rainbow Station, and DECO. Along the way, she found the time to get a Masters in Education degree from the University of Phoenix.
Left to cherish her memory are her children, Tyler and Shelby; her brothers and sisters-in-laws, Donn and Freya, David and Tammy, Eric and Sherri; her nieces and nephews, Kristen, Michael, Dalton, Peyton, Kaitlyn, Rachel, and Parker Lee; as well as her fur-babies Tinkerbell and Quicksilver.
A celebration of her life will be at Courthouse Community United Methodist Church on Sunday, January 18th at 3:00pm. Remembrances can be left at FamilyChoiceFunerals.com or PilotOnline.com.
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Elinor was a very special person and someone we all loved working with. Many of the instructors we work with fondly remember her and how kind she was. She loved her children deeply and she would always talk about them. Missing family is always hardest and my condolences to her family and children especially. Below is a prayer that is said by my family that comforts us, and hope that it may comfort you too:
We consecrate to Thee, O Jesus of love, the trials and the joys and all the happiness of our family life, and we beseech Thee to pour out Thy blessings on all its members, absent and present, living and dead — and when, one after another, we shall have fallen asleep in Thy blessed bosom, O Jesus, may all of us in Paradise find again our family united in Thy Most Sacred Heart. Amen.
I send my deepest sympathies to the entire family. Please know that she was truly loved by all of those that she worked with. I personally enjoyed the one on one conversations that we shared. She is truly an example of courage in the face of adversity. Elinor truly enriched my life and Im a better person for knowing her. Even with her pain and fatigue, she found a way to show up when she could and represent us all as best she could. I will miss her smiles and the infectious laugh that she would share with me throughout the day.
What a wonderful person.
I first met Elinor during a visit to the Norfolk Office. I remember her warm spirit and nice demeanor. On another visit to the office I remembered her name to my surprise and her surprise as well. My colleagues in the Norfolk Office know I reside in Dubai and very rarely at the office. I believe it was just a conformation that we both enjoyed meeting each other.
My Condolence to the family!
Elinor you are HOME now. CT out!
I worked with Elinor at DECO. Elinor was always good for a smile and I loved to make her laugh. She had such a positive spirit and positive outlook. Even when Nate and I visited her in the hospital, she had a warm smile to give and actually lifted my spirits when I was planning to lift hers. Elinor dealt with hundreds of our personnel who are mostly former law enforcement and military Type A personalities. I NEVER heard any of them say a negative word about her. Quite the opposite, they always said how nice and understanding she was. I remember how she beamed when I shared the tales and photos of my family trip to Disney. She loved Disney! My heartfelt condolences to Elinor’s family. Job 5:11: “He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.” Goodbye “Tinkerbell” see you on the other side.