Ryan Cunningham
Marriages
Karen
Obituaries
Vail Daily page page A3 - May 8, 2001
Cunningham services set for Thursday
Vail officer's death the first ever for the department
The only sign Monday of the early Sunday morning tragedy under a bridge at the base of Vail Pass was a simple wooden cross in the center of an orange spray-painted circle on the ground.
Vail Police Officer Ryan Cunningham, 27, died there Sunday morning after a 60-foot fall from that bridge on Interstate 70 while working on a traffic accident. He is the first Vail policed officer to die in the line of duty.
Thursday, Cunningham will be remembered at a Lakewood ceremony and buried in Evergreen with full police honors. The service will be held at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 6465 W. Jewel Ave. in Lakewood, with interment at the Evergreen Meadows Cemetery. A police motorcade will precede the burial at Evergreen.
Cunningham and a fellow officer responded to an icy accident at the bridge near mile marker 182 that had nearly blocked both lanes of eastbound I-70 around 5 a.m. Sunday. A tractor-trailer rig had collided with a Ford Explorer. While Cunningham was investigating, A City Market big rig came sliding on the ice out of control. After seeing that his fellow officer and motorists in the first accident were safe, Cunningham leaped over the concrete bridge railing to avoid the skidding truck and fell 60 feet to his death, the State Police said.
A sad irony was the sliding truck came to a stop before reaching Cunningham's position. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the accident.
Cunningham leaves his wife, Karen, and 6-month-old daughter Halle, as well as a shaken police department town staff.
A memorial fund for Cunningham's wife and child has been established at Vail's 1stBank. The family requesting contributions to the fund in lieu of flowers be sent to the bank in care of Mandie Rowell.
Cunningham is a Salt Lake City native who attended high school in Pensacola, Fla., and moved to Colorado in 1992. He graduated from Arapahoe Community College in Littleton and joined the Vail Police Department in January after serving as a volunteer and then as a code enforcement officer in Commerce City before attending the police academy.
Vail police Chief Greg Morrison said of Cunningham, "Officer Cunningham was one of the finest officers I have known in my24 years of policing. Ryan just radiated goodness."
No one was injured in the first crash, police said.
Vail Daily page A3 - May 7, 2001
Police Officer jumps 60 feet to his death
Ryan Cunningham makes fatal decision at Vail Pass
The 29 officers in the Vail Police Department are mourning the loss of one of their most promising colleagues following the tragic accident Sunday that killed Patrol Officer Ryan Cunningham. Cunningham fell to his death after jumping over a concrete guard raid to avoid an out-of-control semi truck.
"Officer Cunningham was one of the finest officers I have known in my 24 years of policing," said Vail police Chief Greg Morrison. Cunningham was known for his enthusiasm and dedication to the Vail community. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and a six-month-old daughter, Halle.
At 4:53 a.m. Cunningham and another Vail officer were dispatched to investigate an accident at Vail Pass in which a Mile Hi tractor-trailer collided with a Ford Explorer, blocking two lanes of traffic. Cunningham and the other officer were at the scene when City Market semi truck driver James Ramsay of Loma, Colo., lost control of his vehicle on the icy stretch of road and began heading in Cunningham's direction. Morrison described the bridge around I-70 marker 182 as having been covered with sheer ice at the time of the accident.
According to Sgt. Ron Prater of the Colorado State Patrol, Cunningham's first concern was for those around him. After establishing the safety of his fellow officer and the people in stopped cars, Cunningham ran to the left shoulder of the bridge and attempted to save himself by jumping over a concrete retaining wall. He fell about 60 feet to his death. The semi truck was able to make a controlled stop 100 feet away from where Cunningham jumped and never hit the guard rail.
"My guess would be that it was probably a reflex. It was very dark at approximately 10 till 5 this morning," Morrison said of why Cunningham may have jumped.
Cunningham's fellow officer administered CPR after the fall, but his injuries were severe, and Cunningham was pronounced dead after being transported to Vail Valley Medical Center by ambulance. Bruce Campbell of the Eagle County Coroner's Office said that an official cause of death has not been determined. An autopsy will be performed today in Jefferson County.
After the accident Morrison request that police psychologist John Nicoletti come to Vail to help the Vail police force emergency personnel involved in the accident deal with the loss of Cunningham.
"With something like this, they're holding up as well as can be expected," Nicoletti said. "After because of the job and the type of work that they do, police officers are prone to feeling, 'I should be able to handle this.' But they're human too. It's tough to pull it together and go to work when you're grieving."
Community members are tentatively planning to establish a charitable fund for Cunningham's family. Cunningham's brother Todd drove to Vail from Denver Sunday morning to be with his sister-in-law and niece.
"My brother had achieved his goals; he had finished the academy and became a police officer. He died doing what he enjoyed," Todd said.
Arrangement are still being made for Ryan Cunningham's memorial service.
Vail Trail page 4 - May 2001
Officer Ryan Cunningham was killed after falling from a 60-feet highway overpass while avoiding being struck by a semi.
He and another officer were investigating an accident at 0500 hours on I-70 at Vail Pass, which was icy at the time. The two officers ran to the shoulder of the overpass as a tractor trailer lost control to avoid being hit. Officer Cunningham jumped over the rail and fell to the ground below. The other officer, who stayed on the bridge, was uninjured.
Officer Cunningham had been employed with the Vail Police Department for 16 months. He is survived by his wife and infant daughter.
Vail Trail page 4 - November 17, 2001
Gone, but not forgotten
For the first time, Vail loses an officer
Ryan Cunningham, the Vail Police Officer who died while securing an accident scene on Interstate 70 in the early morning hours of May 6, was laid to rest with full police honors May 10 in Evergreen
A motorcade of Vail Police patrol cars, carrying members of Cunningham's family and many work colleagues traveled to the services.
Family members, friends and work colleagues paid tribute to Cunningham's life during a service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lakewood. Burial was at the Evergreen Meadows Cemetery.
Cunningham's life and contributions to the Vail community will also he honored in least three more memorials and ceremonies in the months and years ahead, said Vail Police Chief Greg Morrison.
"In a couple of weeks from now, we plan to have a little ceremony retiring Ryan's badge and placing a picture of him and commemorative plaque in the hallway at the police department," Morrison said.
Cunningham is the first Vail Police Officer to die in the line of duty in the town's 35-yearl history. His memorial will be first of its kind in Vail.
Additionally, Morrison said, he will submit Cunningham's name for inclusion on the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial in Golden.
Dedicated in 1979, the seven-foot-high granite memorial lists the names of sworn enforcement officers that died in the line of duty in Colorado.
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Coe of the Colorado State Patrol, who sits on the memorial's committee, said Cunningham's inclusion on the memorial in a year from now is almost certain.
"I don't think there is any doubt that his name will go on the wall, " Coe said, adding that the circumstances of the Cunningham's death appear to meet all of the memorial's requirements.
"He was a full-time sworn officer and he died while on duty. I can't imagine a reason why he wouldn't be on there come May 2002," Coe said.
The memorial committee will look at a letter of consideration from Morrison, and the coroner's report as well as documents from the accident investigation, Coe said, adding that the review is designed to protect the memory of those whose names are chiseled into the wall.
"We have got to very protective of this memorial to make sure we don't include the name of those who would detract form the sacrifices that everyone else legitimately made."
If the review is favorable, Coe said, Cunningham will be the second officer to be included on the wall so far for 2001. His name will join that Jason Manspeaker, a young trooper killed earlier this year in a traffic accident near Golden . Manspeaker at the time of his death was on his way as to a reporting sighting of the "Texas Seven" escaped prisoners. The sighting turned out to be false, but the seven escapees were later arrested in Woodland Park.
In additional to state-wide honors, Morrison said he will pursue inclusion of Cunningham's name on a national memorial for fallen police officers in Washington D.C.
Cunningham's family donated his eves to the Denver-based Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank through the Colorado Donor Registry. That donation resulted in a cornea transplant that took place May 9th at a Denver area hospital. The family also has donated Cunningham's tissues and bones to Donor Alliance, a Denver-based tissue and organ bank.
Family members say the donation respects Cunningham's wishes to give the gift of life to others.
A memorial fund has been established at Vail FirstBank for Cunningham's wife and infant daughter.
For information on the Colorado Donor Registry call 1-888-256-4386. For eye donation-specific information, Call Ed Jacobs of the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank at 1-800-444-7479.
Vail Trail page 4 - May 11, 2001
Officer Ryan Jay Cunningham
1/6/74 - 5/6/01
Ryan Jay Cunningham was born January 6, 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He served a mission in Pittsburgh, Pa for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Cunningham attended Arapahoe Community College and Metro State College of Denver, where he met his wife, Karen.
Cunningham worked as a code enforcement officer and communications specialist for the Commerce City Police Department. He graduated as a "pistol master" from the ACC Police Academy, after which he became a police officer for the town of Vail. While in Vail, he was a range/firearms instructor and police volunteer coordinator.
He was also the Elder Quorum President for the Vail Branch of the LDS Church.
His daughter, Halle, was born Oct. 20, 2000 in Vail.
Survivors include his wife and daughter Vail; and his parents, Dean and Joan Cunningham of Bartlesville, OK. He is also survived by three sisters: Keri Hogan of Salt Lake, Utah; Kimm Smith of Sedan, KS.; and Ricci Cross of Bartlesville, OK.; and a brother, Todd Cunningham of Highlands Ranch, CO.
Vail Trail page A5 - May 11, 2001
A tragic misjudgment
Ryan Cunningham died like he lived--looking out for others.
Securing an accident scene on an icy bridge May 6, the 27-year-old Vail Police Officer yelled out to the assembled group of about 20 motorists and passengers before seeking safety for himself from an oncoming semi-truck.
In a terrible and tragic moment of misjudgment--Cunningham ran to the left shoulder of the two-lane bridge put one hand on the guardrail and swung himself over the median wall, plunging 60 feet to his death.
"One of the witnesses at the scene--a woman from California--told me that Cunningham had shouted a warning before he ran over to the left side and was gone," said Sergeant Ron Prater of the Colorado State Patrol, who is investigating the incident that led to Cunningham's death.
"No one knows what Ryan was thinking at that moment," said Vail Police Chief Greg Morrison, who hired Cunningham a little over a year ago.
"But his actions show that he was concerned for the safety of the other people, before he tried to get out of the way himself."
A selfless man, who loved his job for the daily opportunities to help, Cunningham will be remembered by colleagues and friends, as a man who was deeply committed to his family, his friends, and his faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Fellow officers say Cunningham was the quintessential "good cop" who never missed an opportunity to go above and beyond his duty to help make his community a safe and peaceful environment.
While he was dedicated to serving and protecting, Cunningham was passionate about treating offenders with compassion.
"Whoever we arrested or dealt with, they would literally shake his hand and thank for being so nice," said fellow officer and close friend Kris Lulloff. "In the year he worked for Vail Police, Ryan never got one complaint. He was just a wonderful man, who saw the good in everyone."
"He had an unconditional heart," said fellow officer Brian Gregor, who became a personal friend of Cunningham's after recruiting and training him.
"He reminded all of us every day that we aren't robots without hearts, that we do care, even in a job that requires us to be strict and make people follow the law."
Vail Sergeant Detective Mike Warren said he will remember Cunningham for his unwavering commitment to learn from others.
"He was the kind of patrol officer who wanted to investigate his own cases. He would com and ask me for advice. He didn't want to just off-hand cases--he cared about the people he came across in his work, from beginning to end."
Warren recalled Cunningham being especially excited after eliciting his first confession from a suspect through an effective interrogation.
Cunningham's pride and passion for his work will live on in a police volunteer program, he helped establish, said Kris Cureau, an administrator at the Vail Police Department. The one-year old program now includes 19 volunteers who help officers in their work and in return gain experience in a variety of law-enforcement related tasks.
"He was so passionate about starting this program, because he had found out that he wanted to be a police officer as a volunteer in Commerce City. He wanted to make sure that the same opportunity existed here," Cureau said.
Whenever he encountered a volunteer, Cunningham made a point of thanking the individual personally for participating in the program.
Even before he became a sworn officer and joined the Vail Police Department, Cunningham showed promise for police work.
"In 30 years, I've come across a number of memorable people--Ryan was one of the most caring people I have ever met," said Elaine Rowe, who supervised Cunningham during his 18-month stint at the Commerce City Police Department, where he began working as a volunteer in 1997 and later worked as a part-time record-keeping clerk and code-enforcement officer, while studying to become a police officer at Arapahoe Community College.
"He wanted to be a cop from the day he started here," Rowe said. "He was excited about that and it showed in everything he did."
Commerce City Police Chief Brian Hebbard said Cunningham made a lasting impression on him as a tireless worker and a man who "couldn't make anyone mad, even if he wanted to."
That talent became evident, Hebbard said, when Cunningham began working on animal control cases.
"I don't think there is a task in police work that is any touchier," Hebbard said.
Animal control issues, without fail, generate the highest number of citizen complaints regarding officers' conduct, Hebbard said, but during his entire time with the Commerce City police department, Cunningham was never the subject of such a complaint.
"He had a way of dealing with people, that I had never seen before and haven't seen since. He had this youthful innocence about him, that made people sign a summons on an animal violation, without ever saying a mean thing about him."
Members of the Vail branch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--where Cunningham served as a president of the Elders' Quorum--as well as members of neighboring congregation for Eagle and Gypsum, have been rallying closely around Karen Cunningham and her nearly 7-month-daughter, Halle.
They remember Cunningham as a man dedicated to his religion and family, who was well organized and would offer his support to anyone who needed it. The young couple could be found at any number of volunteer events, said Kim Matthews, a member of the church's Eagle and Gypsum congregation. "They were always there for others. We'll make sure that Karen gets all the support she needs," she said.
Gwen Wickes, a childhood friend of Karen Cunningham and a member of the church's Vail congregation, said the young mother is doing fine considering the circumstances; and finds much comfort through her religion.
"When I talked to her las night, she sounded a bit more somber, but she is strong and she is going to be OK," Wickes said of a phone conversation she had with Karen Cunningham, the day after her husband's death.
"We believe that death is not the end. She will see Ryan again, so this is not as devastating for her as would be for other people," Wickes said.
