LAWRENCE G. CUNNINGHAM, 87, a pioneer of the upper Skagit Valley and lifelong resident of Concrete, passed away at his home on Sunday October 31, 2004.
He was born on December 12, 1916 in Concrete, the son of Charles P. & Georgia Miller Cunningham. He was raised and attended school in Concrete where he was known by his nicknames of Cherries and Pipes. When he was 13 he was too young to work for the Forest Service, so they leased his horse and he came with it. They worked on pack trains setting survey monuments. He officially began working in the logging industry in 1935. In 1940 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed in 1941. He also fought in many battles in the Pacific. On September 1, 1943 he was united in marriage to Ardath DeBolt at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. Following his discharge as a Platoon Sergeant from the Marines in 1945, he and Ardath came home to Concrete and he started his own logging business, which together they operated for many years. Lawrence built many roads around Skagit County, with a few being up Sauk Mountain, Finney Creek and Lake Cavanaugh. He also built the Concrete Airport and the Concrete High School football field. He later went into the construction and rock crushing business, where he was especially fond of his D-9 bulldozers and Mack trucks.
Lawrence and Ardath also owned a beef ranch, the ‘Rafter C’ in Birdsview where they raised Hereford and Charlois cattle.
In his later years he thoroughly enjoyed the company of his good friends at the North Cascades Inn and the Lyman Restaurant.
Lawrence was a member of the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle, the Elks Lodge, the Cattleman’s Assoc. and the Catholic Church.
He is survived by his children, Ann Parker and her husband John of Concrete and Riley Cunningham and his fianc