Obituary of Richard O. Cundiff

Following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, Richard Owen Cundiff, aged 70, passed away peacefully at his Franklin County home on Friday, June 4, 2021. A lifelong resident of Franklin County, he was the son of the late Otis Boyd and Ruth Brown Cundiff. He is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Nancy D. Cundiff; uncle, Glen Poindexter; aunt, Judith Brown; brothers-in-law, James G. Dye, Jr. and Robert D. Dye (Deirdre); nieces and nephews, Grace Dye, Elizabeth Bowers, Jarrod Brown, Jay Poindexter, Conly Dye and many special friends.

He attended both Virginia Western Community College and Virginia Tech.  He worked 38 years for Ingersoll-Rand/Atlas Copco. He served as commercial/industrial photographer for Ingersoll-Rand Company’s Worldwide Rock Drill Division and served 16 years as editor of the Rock Drill News. He was an avid freelance photographer for 43 years with pictures published in all local area newspapers as well as the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Richmond Times Dispatch and NCAA publications. He worked as a sports photographer for Ferrum College for 40 years.

He was the proud owner and operator of Cedar Fields Farm beef cattle operation. He was also a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association.

Special thanks are extended to the dedicated and compassionate care of the seventh floor South CCU nurses and staff and to the nurses and staff of the Palliative floor at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Also special thanks are extended to Good Samaritan Hospice and Care Advantage caregivers.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that any donations be made to the Lust Garten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research (415 Crossways Park Drive, Suite D, Woodbury, NY  11797; (www.lustgarten.org) or to Good Samaritan Hospice (www.goodsamaritan.org).

The family will receive visitors and friends from 2-4 PM and from 7-9 PM on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at Simpson Funeral Home at 5160 Peters Creek Road in Roanoke.  A celebration of life service will be conducted at 2 PM on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at the Hollins Road Baptist Church (3502 Old Mountain Road NE, Roanoke, Virginia 24019) with the Reverend Mark Washington officiating.