Obituary of Vera Irene Kunnath

11/17/1939 – 7/6/2024

Vera Irene Kunnath, 84, of Port Saint Lucie, Florida was born in Newberry, Michigan to Cora Marie Rickerd and Glenn Wilson Shady on November 17, 1939. She passed away surrounded by her loved ones on July 6, 2024. Throughout her illness, Vera spent her time writing notes to loved ones encouraging them and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with them. She loved to tell others about God's loving kindness and the salvation from sin offered by Jesus to all who believe.

Vera grew up in the Upper Peninsula as well as in Southfield, Michigan. Vera was very athletic, she played basketball and earned Girl's Athletic Association awards and later in life played golf. She loved to challenge her children to a game of "HORSE", which she often won. She attended Secretarial School at Cleary College where she excelled at shorthand and earned awards for her rapid typing speed, skills that enabled her to excel in the business community. Later she studied to be a Paralegal at Michigan State University. She was a lifelong learner who was interested in the details and she kept careful notes. These skills enabled to her to be a wonderful helpmate to her husband William with the many businesses they owned and operated together. They moved to Florida in 1982 with their children and fell in love with the tropical climate, enjoying many hours boating on the intracoastal and taking their children scuba diving and fishing. Vera also enjoyed photography, writing, sewing, and travel.

Vera was a woman of character as described in the Bible in Proverbs 31:26, 28-30. She exemplified grace to everyone she met and welcomed many to her home. "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue…Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (NIV). She was baptized at a young age at Southfield Methodist Church, and spent her life committed to sharing the love to Jesus Christ to everyone she met. She attended Bible Study Fellowship beginning in the mid 1990s in Stuart, FL and was a part of the pilot class establishing BSF on the Treasure Coast with a small group committed to making in-depth Bible Study accessible to local women. She remained a member of BSF until her passing and often stated that God used this Bible Study to change her life.

Vera was married to Thomas O'Hara in 1962 and later to William Clifford Kunnath in 1980. She is predeceased by her daughter, Heather Ann O'Hara as well as her beloved husband William, and her brothers Bruce, Alton, Frank, and Martin Shady. She was insistent that her children were her legacy, and she is survived by: Daniel (Denise) O'Hara, Dorothy (Tom) Cantrell, and Christopher O'Hara, and her stepdaughter Paula Swanson. She was a wonderful Nana to her grandchildren: Allison, Jack and Luke Cantrell, Priscilla (Hubert) Zhao, Sara (Kevin) Kinne, Trevor (Kirsten), Christopher (Allie), and Aaron Swanson, Robert McCoy, and a great-granddaughter Ava Swanson. She also dearly loved her nieces and nephews.

Vera's Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 12:00 pm in the Forest Hills Funeral Home Chapel at 2001 SW Murphy Road, Palm City, FL 34990 ( 772-287-8484 ) with a reception to follow on site. Website www.foresthillspalmcityflorida.com

For those unable to attend the service, you may go to the website to share your thoughts and memories throughout the years.

Donations:

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Bible Study Fellowship International https://www.bsfinternational.org/support/bsf-worldwide/

or to Care Net: http://www.care-net.org in memory of Vera Irene Kunnath.

If you unable to attend Vera's Celebration of Life in person please join us via Zoom. Meeting ID 772-631-3866.