Frank S. Cunha, age 79, a resident of New Bedford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on June 5, 2024, with his family by his side and the amazing hospice support of Community Nurse Home Care following an ongoing struggle with Alzheimer's Disease.

He was the loving husband of Jacqueline (Boucher) Cunha of 57 years. Frank is survived by two sons, Frank Cunha of New Bedford, MA, and his partner Sandra Lavery, and Derek Cunha and his wife, Kara, of Easthampton, MA. He is survived by three grandchildren, Molly Cunha, 2nd Lt. Gabrielle Cunha, and Agostinho Cunha.  Frank is the brother of Izilda Avilla and of the late Maria Viera and Manuel Cunha.

Frank was born in the village of Estreito da Calheta on the island of Madeira, Portugal, the son of Agostinho and Adelina Cunha.  He arrived in New Bedford at the age of three and graduated from New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School in 1964. There, he excelled in soccer, basketball, and baseball. In 1963, Cunha was awarded the first Jake Balestracci Trophy as New Bedford Vocational's Outstanding All-Around Athlete, and in 1986, he was inducted into the New Bedford Vocational / GNB Regional Voc-Tech High School Hall of Fame. Frank eventually played on several local semi-pro and Portuguese clubs. He continued to play soccer well into his seventies on what his granddaughters referred to as the "U70 Travel Team" winning a National Championship at the Veteran's Cup. You could find him every Wednesday night with his buddies at a soccer field or volleyball court for the last 50+ years. It was fitting that his passing was on a Wednesday night around the time that beers and drinks would be had and the stories and jokes with his friends would be in full force.

After high school, Frank and Jackie married in 1966, and he was soon drafted into the United States National Guard, where he was trained as a sharpshooter. His soccer talents were discovered and he then traveled playing on various Army soccer teams. Following his service, Frank opened his own gas station and auto shop in New Bedford. After selling his business, he taught mechanics at Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Plymouth. Later, he became an educator at Voc-Tech in New Bedford, guiding and affecting the lives of students as a bilingual teacher supporting students in their trades.

Frank's favorite job was coaching.  He coached high school boys soccer for 19 seasons, building the New Bedford Voc-Tech program into a dynasty and shaping his players both on and off the field.  He won ten league championships, five Vocational State Championships, and one Eastern MA Championship competing in Division 1. After retiring from Voc-Tech, he was an assistant coach for the men's soccer team at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth for several years. He was proud to be selected to assist with the training of the Bolivian National team as they prepared locally for the 1994 World Cup and traveled with them for the opening game in Chicago.

When not working, Frank and Jackie would love attending the sporting events of their children and grandchildren. From long car trips to watch Derek play games for Holy Cross, to being a sole fan at countless of Frankie's men's league hockey games late into the night, to Long Island to support Molly in field hockey, driving across New England watching Gabi compete in martial arts, or just seeing clips of Gus play squirt hockey, they were always proud!

Frank loved celebrating his Madeiran culture with his family and friends, especially with his guitar and accordion. He was an active member of the Club Madeirense SS Sacramento for decades and served as the president of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in 1985. Many of those same club friends could be found with him into the early hours of the morning each holiday season singing Christmas carols house to house and returning home full of cheer with the sun rising.

After retiring, Frank and Jackie traveled seeing nearly every part of this country looking out the windows of their RV with Frank behind the wheel. From coast to coast, pictures are reminders to us of all they have seen and done. They spent 15 winters in Mesa, Arizona where he dominated in pickleball, golf, water polo, and any other sport that was offered.

Most importantly, Frank was the light in every room and a friend to all.  He will be remembered for making everyone laugh, his constant jokes, and his predictable pranks. He was always "Portagee good!"

Wake services will be held Monday, June 10, 2024 at Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, from 3-7PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament Vocational Scholarship Program:

Club Madeirense S.S. Sacramento, Inc.
50 Madeira Ave.
New Bedford, MA 02746

Email: clubesssvocationalaward@comcast.net