William Andrew Cunningham died suddenly on June 28, 2026. He was the treasured husband and constant companion of Barbara (Lachowicz) for almost 57 years. In addition to his wife, he leaves behind his three children: William (Shona), Andrew, and Janet as well as his three grandchildren: Aileen, Isabelle and Dylan.

He was born on August 13, 1946 in Bridgeport CT, son of William and Sara (Harrington) Cunningham. He received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from NYU and a master’s in executive business administration from the University of New Haven.

William began his career as a flight test engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft where he met Barbara, marrying in 1969. At his next position as nuclear new design engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, he filled the weeks waiting for his security clearances by playing with a remote computer terminal in the room. After a few months working on designs for the super carrier USS Nimitz, he transferred to the Research Department in charge of remote computing.

Once his first child, William, was born in 1973, the family moved back to Connecticut where he worked as a technical company representative for Tymshare and Computer Sciences Corporation. At CSC, he was responsible for timeshared computing at all the military facilities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. To minimize being away from his family, he became an instrumented rated pilot, so he could fly to work at the various sites. Occasionally, when driving to an installation, he would take the expanded family, which now included Andrew (b. 1975) and Janet (b. 1978) for mini vacations while he worked. Having his pilot’s license also allowed him to fly the whole family to the beach on Fishers Island.

Having purchased and mastered one of the first personal computers used in business, the Superbrain, he recognized the coming end of computer timesharing. At that point, he began his career as CIO, working at various companies that spanned the spectrum from manufacturing to trading to news, including Guinness America and the Associated Press. At each company he learned what information was needed by each department and how it was used by other departments.

Seeing how information at most companies was siloed when it needed to be central and shared across the company, he formed his own consulting company, specializing in data architecture. Aetna and Cigna were two of his clients. Upon retiring he continued to be proficient in new technologies and implemented robust multi-functional web-based systems for two of the yacht clubs he belonged to.

His greatest and constant passion throughout life was his photography. His father began teaching him about all the intricacies of cameras at an early age. By the time he was in high school, he was the school’s reporter for the town newspaper and was responsible for not just his high school’s sports photography but also the high school his future wife was attending. At NYU, he had a press pass for Madison Square Garden, which allowed him to take pictures courtside during basketball games.

After marrying and moving to Virginia, his wife bought him his very own Leica, the first of many cameras from film to digital. He was almost always seen with one or two cameras around his neck. He excelled at portraits, landscape and street photography. He captured a moment of life that most did not see by understanding light, composition and the full potential of his cameras. His extensive travel through North America, Europe, and Asia generated inspiring photographic memories. Many can be viewed accompanied by explanations of how he interfaced with the world at billcazphotos.myportfolio.com

Having been a pilot and loving cameras, drones were a logical next step expanding what he could film.

For the past twenty years, he and his wife spent every summer sailing off the Northeast coast, visiting many of the islands and towns from Bridgeport out to Nantucket and Provincetown and up to Acadia National Park in Maine. He would think nothing of being out for over six weeks at a time. He and his wife would meet and socialize with a growing number of sailor friends for unplanned and planned visits in various ports.

Interested in genealogy, he traced his ancestors back to the 1600s and was recognized as a Son of the American Revolution. Having watched the Victory at Sea series in WWII many times, he was fascinated by history, especially WWII history. Visiting Normandy was the highlight of his French trip. With his father coming to the States from Scotland as a teenager and his Scottish grandparents living across the street, he cherished his Scottish heritage. After several business trips to England, he traveled to Edinburgh to take part in the multi day Hogmanay New Year celebrations as well as the Military Tattoo. He and his wife spent a week traveling through Scotland, visiting the many sites whose history he was familiar with.

His interests and accomplishments were innumerable. He was never bored. There was always one more challenge to master.

He will be missed.

A celebration of life will take place on Friday, July 3, 2026 beginning at 3:00 P.M. held at Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home 235 Main St. N. Southbury.

To leave an online condolence please visit munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.