In 2013, Neva and Cordell Cunningham (my parents) came to Springfield for my husband and me to care for them. They retired after 55 plus years of ministry. Mother and Daddy served as pastors of churches in Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi and as evangelists across the country. In their later years, they served as interim pastors in many churches. They raised us three kids while ministering to a wide variety of congregations. After retiring, mother’s health was declining, and she needed extra care. After forty years of living away from them, we decided to move them to Springfield.

 

Believe it or not, the Cottage was born as a two car garage. It was just being used for storage, so we decided to put it to a better use. So, began the Cunningham Cottage. Along with being a minister, daddy was a contractor and builder. He had built houses, apartment complexes, and churches. He could draw up plans and build something from the ground up. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do.

He and I spent many hours discussing the design of the cottage. Not realizing he was suffering from Alzheimer’s; his ideas just would not work. This is when we began to realize that his health was also at risk. After much “discussing” we finally came up with what you see now.

They both loved this place and enjoyed sitting in front of the bay window watching the birds and admiring the yard. The day we took him to the nursing home, he sat at the table looking out and said, “This is just a little piece of heaven before I go to heaven.”

 

Mother loved flowers and birds. It is a lot of work keeping this yard groomed, planting flowers and watering, but I did it because she loved it so much. The bird book on the bay window has a paper with her writing of just a few of the birds she sighted from this window. I think her final count was 50 species. Daddy put together dozens of puzzles in his last years. He put together over 200 while he was here. The two framed puzzles on the walls were the last puzzles he put together.

 

The red and white glider out front has been in the family for over 75 years. It belonged to my great grandmother and my parents got married in her home. We have a picture of them sitting on it on their wedding day and again on their 62th anniversary on the electric panel. It was given to me a few years ago by my cousin who still lives in that farmhouse. Daddy passed away 3 days before their 64th anniversary.

The picture above the bed is a numbered autographed print by a local artist, Charles Summe. He was a personal friend of Terry’s parents.

​

I hope you feel the love, laughs, and prayer that took place in this cottage for eight years. Our desire is to continue their hospitality to you.

 

 Gayla & Terry

​

​