AURORA, Colo. — He’ll be remembered as a husband, father, teammate, coach, educator and friend.
T.J. Cunningham was many things to many people. Those people packed the Heritage Christian Center in Aurora Monday afternoon for Cunningham’s memorial service.
“I had no idea the effect that my son had on the world because he was such a humble person,” said Cunningham’s mother, Cheryl.
Cunningham was shot and killed Feb. 17 in the parking lot of Eaglecrest High School after an ongoing argument with his neighbor over parking, a spokeswoman for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Cunningham was a star football player at Overland High School in Aurora. He was recruited to the University of Colorado where he played for four years before being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks.
After his football career, Cunningham achieved a graduate degree in teaching and eventually became an assistant principal at Hinkley High School.
“T.J. was the smartest man I know,” said his widow, Kristi Cunningham. “He could pick up a textbook and read it once and go get an A on a test.”
Kristi Cunningham made a point to address students in the crowd at the memorial service.
“As his wife, I want to tell you he is our angel now,” she said. “He is your biggest cheerleader. I know the devastation of this is so hard, but I want you guys to think about the leader T.J. was for you and go to all your classes and respect your teachers and gain knowledge every single day.”
Kristi Cunningham spoke with two of her daughters by her side. T.J. Cunningham was a father of five.
“My promise to my husband is to take care of our girls and to raise them to be the best they can be,” Kristi Cunningham said. “My promise to my husband is to now take over being the rock of all of our kids and lead our family.”
Marcus Johnson is accused of shooting T.J. Cunningham. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said Johnson called dispatch after the shooting, told them he shot his neighbor and led them to a gun in his car.
Johnson was formally charged with first-degree murder and is expected in court again the morning of Friday, March 8.
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