Juanita (Perry) Cunningham

Juanita Perry Cunningham was a Christian, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, soror, educator, and civic volunteer. She was born June 18, 1925, to Thelma Simmons and William O. Perry. Along with her biological parents, she was raised by loving stepparents, Amos Herring, Sr. and Iona Perry. She died August 13, 2025 in Ocala, Florida at 100 years old.
At the time of her death, Mrs. Cunningham was a member of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church where she had been a member of the Board of Trustees. Prior church memberships were Hope Methodist Church in Hawthorne, Florida, and Zion Methodist Church and Covenant Missionary Baptist Church, both in Ocala.
She was educated at Phillis Wheatley Elementary School in Miami, Florida and Shell School in Hawthorne, Florida, from which she graduated. After high school, she studied cosmetology at Sunshine Beauty School in Miami, Florida; she returned to Hawthorne and opened a hair salon. She later enrolled in Bethune-Cookman College and graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, conferred with honors. While in college she pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and was a member of the Concert Chorale. In 1977, she was conferred a Master’s Degree by Nova Southeastern University.
In 1962, Mrs. Cunningham was one of fourteen founding members of the Ocala Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., of which she served several terms as president, and went on to obtain Golden Life Membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was also a founding member of the Ocala Chapter of Altrusa International, Inc. Mrs. Cunningham was appointed by Governor Bob Graham to the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. She was also a chartering member of United Way’s Women of Worth; a member of the Board of Directors of Marion Regional Development Foundation; Central Florida Community College Senior Institute; Marion County Chapter of the American Cancer Society; Marion County Senior Services; Utopians, Inc.; and a life member of the Marion County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
It was through her work as an educator that Mrs. Cunningham had a great impact on residents of Ocala. She taught at Stanton Elementary School, Weirsdale, and Howard Elementary and Howard Middle School, Ocala. She left the classroom to become an assistant principal at Ocala Vanguard High School. Her last position with the Marion County School District was as founding Program Administrator at Howard Academy Community Center. She retired in 1991.
Mrs. Cunningham’s survivors are her children, Renee C. Lee (Anthony), James C. Cunningham, Jr., and J. Courtney Cunningham (Tasha); grandchildren, Corey A. Lee (Meg), Cari J. Lee, and Connor S. Cunningham; great-grandchildren, Ethan A. Lee, Ella M. Lee, Brayden Lee, and Brooklyn Lee.
Her surviving siblings are Mattie Sheffield, Lenton Herring (Marie), Terry Williams (Sinatra), Eugene Herring (Vonda), Iva Balluff (Rich), Debra Pope, Bernadette Deal (Livingston), and Adrianna Michael. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Brenda Perry and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents and stepparents; granddaughter, Codi J. Lee; and siblings, Betty Fernandez, Amos Herring, Jr., and William O Perry, Jr.
The funeral service for Mrs. Cunningham will be held Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church, 606 S. W. Broadway, Ocala, Florida. Burial will follow on a later date in Miami, Florida.
Mrs. Cunningham’s body will lie in repose at Clark Funeral Home, 434 N.W.Martin Luther King Blvd., Ocala, from noon to 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 22, 2025, and at the church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service on August 23, 2025.

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