"To be absent from from the body is to be present with the Lord." Yet it is with sadness that the family of Juanita Cunningham Blackburn reports her death on Thursday, March 11, 2021, due to a lingering illness. She will be missed.

Alice Juanita Gosnell was born on March 28, 1932 to Oda and Dorothy Gosnell in Pekin, Illinois. She married Richard B. Cunningham in 1950. Together they served in three Illinois pastorates: Pontiac, Carrollton, and Barry. In 1966 they accepted a missionary appointment with the Division of World Missions of the Assemblies of God (AG). With their two children, Richard, Jr. and Cynthia, they moved to Lausanne, Switzerland in 1966 to study the French language. In 1967, they went to Lome, Togo, West Africa Advanced School of Theology (AG) and Juanita served as school registrar and instructor in English and beginning French. Their children attended boarding school in Nigeria.

Upon Richard's death in 1975, Juanita transferred to International Correspondence Institute (AG World Missions) in Belgium. She served ICI (now Global University in Springfield, MO) as an instructional development specialist from 1976 to 2009, developing college and ministerial training materials for world-wide use.

In 1980, Juanita transferred back to the States. In 1981, she married Dean E. Blackburn in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was then Vice President of Life PublishersIntl., also of the Assemblies of God Division of World Missions. In 1985, when Dean became Vice President of Christian Booksellers Association, they moved to Colorado Springs, CO. In 1990, upon Dean's retirement, they moved to Lakeland, FL.

In addition to her continuing work for Global University, in 2002 Juanita became editor for CaringConnection, the member care team of AG World Missions. Throughout the years, she authored, co-authored, or edited numerous Christian publications and books.

A graduate of North Central University in Minneapolis (B.A.), Juanita traveled extensively, both as a missionary and as a retiree. Her life's motto has been the words of St. Paul: "To live is Christ, to die is gain."

In addition to her late husband, Dr. Richard B. Cunningham, Juanita was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, Alberta Schaumleffel and Verna Ratledge.

She is survived by many people she loved: her husband, Dean; her son, Richard B. Cunningham (wife Jan), missionaries to Romania, and their sons Richard, Robert, and Jonathan; her daughter, Cynthia Shigo (husband Joel), missionaries to Hungary, and their daughter, Elisabeth and Catherine; and Dean's children: Dawn Dail (Dan); Jeff Blackburn (Penny); Heidi Nelson; and Scott Blackburn; 14 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, six nieces, and two nephews, and many dear friends, all of whom enriched her life in so many ways.

Juanita's burial will be in her hometown of Pekin, Illinois, Wednesday, March 17, 2021.

A special memorial celebration of her life service will be held in Springfield, Missouri, on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 10:00 AM in Central Assembly of God.

Flowers may be directed to Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home before Tuesday, March 16 or Monday, March 22. In lieu of flowers, please consider an offering to Global University, 1211 S. Glenstone, Springfield, Missouri 65804 in her name.

GU was near and dear to her heart.