Obituary: Dorothy Gildea Cunnick

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A private funeral service for Dr. Dorothy Jean Gildea Cunnick, 93, of Davenport, was held on Tuesday, March 20, at First Presbyterian Church, Davenport. Burial was in Pine Hill Cemetery, Davenport. The Cunnick-Collins Mortuary and Cremation Service assisted the family with arrangements.

Dr. Gildea Cunnick died Thursday, March 14, 2018, at Ridgecrest Health Care Center, Davenport.

Dorothy Gildea was born March 27, 1924, in Fort Wayne, Ind., the daughter of Lionel and Irene (Boegel) Gildea. She graduated from Southside High School, Fort Wayne, and attended Augustana College, Rock Island. She received a degree in biology from The University of Iowa, and graduated from The University of Iowa School of Medicine in 1949. She completed her internship and residency in pediatrics through the University of Maryland at a Washington D.C. hospital.

She married Dr. Paul Cunnick on June 21, 1949, at First Presbyterian Church, Davenport. He died in March of 2009.

She was the first female pediatrician in the Quad Cities, opening her practice with her husband in 1953. She was a member of the staff of both St. Luke’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital in Davenport for over 40 years.

She was a member of the Iowa and American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Pediatric Association, the American Medical Association, the Iowa Medical Society, and the Scott County Medical Society. She served locally on the board of the American Cancer Society, the Handicapped Development Center, and the Maternal Health Center, where she also served as president. She served three terms as a member of the Iowa Board of Medical Examiners. She had been a member of First Presbyterian Church in Davenport since 1939, and served as a deacon and an elder, as well as on other various committees in the church. She was a 75-year member of the Tri Delta Society, a longtime member of the Hannah Caldwell Chapter of the DAR, and a 62-year member of PEO Chapter IB.

Her hobbies were traveling, spending time with her family, and gardening.

Survivors include a son, Marcus (Mary) Cunnick, Davenport; Mariah Cunnick (Chris Scovil) and Charles (Jessica) Cunnick; a great-grandson; and a brother, Robert Gildea, Ocala, Fla.

Memorials may be made to the Dr. Paul C. Cunnick and Dr. Dorothy Gildea Cunnick Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, where a fund has been established to aid students entering the medical profession.

Online condolence may be made at www.Cunnick-Collins.com.

Dorothy Gildea Cunnick, Cunnick-Collins Funeral Home, obituary

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