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10/19/2012 10:00 AMPeter Ritsher Cunningham, M.D., 86, died in Johnson, Vermont on Oct. 11. He was the husband of 65 years to Janice Judd Rice Cunningham. He was a kind, loving, caring, and gentle man who will be missed by his family and by so many whose lives he touched.
Peter was born on Dec. 13, 1925 in Jacksonville, Florida, son of the late Gerald and Louise Cunningham, formerly of Johnson, Vermont. He grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin, and, under an accelerated wartime program, attended Yale University and Yale Medical School, graduating from both in 1946. While there, he met his wife, Janice Judd Rice of North Haven, who was working at the Yale bursar's office.
Peter joined the Navy while in college and worked at the Navy hospital in Newport, Rhode Island, after graduation from medical school. In 1954, he and Janice moved to Keene, New Hampshire, where he practiced in his home office for two years as a general practitioner. In 1956, with his family of five, he and Janice moved to Westville, Connecticut, while Peter returned to Yale to finish a second residency in pediatrics. In 1957, the family moved to Guilford where Peter practiced pediatrics for 30 years. He retired in 1986 and shortly thereafter moved to Johnson, Vermont, where he and Janice enjoyed their many grandchildren being part of their everyday lives.
Aside from his family, Peter's true love was a log cabin he built from logs he harvested himself, on a lake in Maine. There he could be the truly quiet person he was, happily immersed in nature, surrounded by his family. Always an early riser, he enjoyed taking his children and grandchildren on fishing trips at dawn in his beloved wooden canoe.
For 64 years, Peter and Janice celebrated "the most beautiful time of day" while watching the sun set over Peter’s beloved "pond" in Maine. Peter was an avid gardener, skilled carpenter, house-restorer, sailor and snorkeler.
Besides his wife, he is survived by five children and their spouses, Penny and Jim Hommeyer of Groton, Massachusetts, Pam and Bill Jaspersohn of Johnson, Vermont, Betsy and Len Langer of Yarmouth, Maine, Peter and MaryCatherine Cunningham of Dayton, Maine, and Amy and Eric Schulz of Johnson, Vermont. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
There will be a private celebration of Peter's life at a later date.