Notes for Grace Ruth Ball: CUNNINGHAM, GRACE RUTH BALL INFO AND TIMELINE BY JERRY LENNIS CUNNINGHAM, SR.
September 30, 1918 Birth Date in Ducktown, TN the second daughter of Walter Rollie & Cordelia Rogers Ball.
1924 circa Grace and Thelma's parents Walter Rollie Ball age 21 and Cordelia Rogers Ball age 19 both die within 6 months of each other with a disease believed to be Pneumonia or TB at Ducktown, TN
1924 circa Grace lost her hearing in right ear due to measles at age of 5 +/-.
1925 circa Grace and Thelma are sent to Maryville Industrial Home Orphanage in Maryville, TN Blount County TN.
1927 circa Grace is sent to Tennessee School For the Deaf (TSD) as they believe she needs to be around and learn the deaf sign language to communicate since she lost her hearing in her right ear. It was believed and noted that Grace did not get to begin school until she was approx. 10 years old, and has a communication problem due to her partial deafness. For the next 6 or 8 years Grace is at TSD and also was farmed out to live with other people in Fountain city area of North Knoxville, TN to work to help pay for her upkeep.
August 1935 Grace Ruth Ball (age 17) Married Arlie Dartis Cunningham (age 22)
September 12, 1936 Grace and Arlie have their 1st Child Wilma Jean Cunningham, which would become their only daughter of a family of five children total and also the loss of two children in early 1950s of miscarriages
October 1940 Husband Arlie Dartis Cunningham committed murder of a girl friend Ruth Larrimore whom he was having an affair with. The act of murder was committed on Wallace Road in Knox County TN in an automobile Ruth Larrimore was from Tazewell, TN
January 8, 1941 2nd child Arlie Ronald Cunningham was born during the crisis of the Arlie Dartis Cunningham murder of Ruth Larrimore
January 1941 to 1946 circa Lived with Father In Law and Mother In Law Hose Walter & Linda Cunningham at 314 Dale Ave Knoxville, TN 37916 while husband Arlie Dartis Cunningham was incarcerated for the murder of Ruth Larrimore an estranged girl friend.
May 1, 1946 3rd Child Jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr. was born to Arlie Dartis and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham
January circa 1947 ? Arlie is drinking and is out playing around in his car and runs over a young girl who was retarded in a field of high weeds and is convicted of manslaughter and has to go back to prison for some years.
October 3, 1949 4th Child Walter David Ralph Cunningham was born to Arlie Dartis and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham
January 1, 1950 circa lived at 16th street at Alley Knoxville, TN which was a half block away from Arlie's parents Hose Walter & Linda Elizabeth Underwood Cunningham problems began when 1st son Arlie Ronald Cunningham (AKA Ronnie) was allowed to stay with Grandmother Linda Elizabeth Underwood Cunningham, due to her yearning and wanting this grandchild to be as her own son due to illness of Linda Elizabeth Underwood Cunningham whether real or not this was the explanation given to this estrangement of Ronnie being away from his natural father Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham this led to family problems for the next 40 to 50 years until after the death of Arlie Ronald Cunningham's 1st wife Wanda Reed Cunningham, who also had some very peculiar dysfunctional family background and would not allow Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham to not only see her natural son Arlie Ronald (Ronnie) Cunningham but would not even allow Grace to have even a picture of her own natural three grand daughters Linda, Angie and Rhonda Cunningham.
January circa 1951 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham along with their children Wilma jean Cunningham, Jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr and Walter David Ralph Cunningham move to upper end of Hannah Ave close to Moses School and only daughter Wilma age 14 runs off with and marries Jesse Lee (Pete) Valentine, Jr.
January circa 1952 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham along with their 2 children Jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr. and Walter David Ralph Cunningham move to Toole Bend Road in Knoxville, Knox County TN in what is known as Blue Grass Community.
January 1952 circa miscarriage of child at Little Creek Sanitarium on North Shore Drive in Knox County TN while living at Toole Bend Road in Knox County TN
March 12, 1952 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham become grandparents for the first time as their only daughter Wilma Jean Cunningham Valentine gives birth to Jesse lee Valentine, Jr.
January 1953 circa miscarriage of child at Little Creek Sanitarium on North Shore Drive in Knox County TN while living at Toole Bend Road in Knox County TN
January circa 1954 Arlie Dartis is caught Drunk Driving and loses his driver's license and also his job working for The Patent Button Company on Proctor St in Knoxville, TN and takes his younger son Walter David Ralph Cunningham and goes to Corbin, KY to live with his sister and Brother in Law Lilly Mae Cunningham Gaddis and Canary Australia Gaddis, with whom he had lived previously before marriage to Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham
January circ 1954 Grace Ruth ball Cunningham and only other at home son, Jerry Lennis Cunningham go to live with her cousin Jim and Sarah Ball at Beech Grove Road off Northshore Drive in Knoxville, TN
January cira 1955 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Cunningham get back together as a family and move to city of Knoxville, Tn at Hannah Ave Jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr is now in the second grade at Van Gilder School on Highland Ave at 13th St in Knoxville, TN.
Jan circa 1955 Arlie and Grace's daughter Wilma jean divorces her first husband Jesse Lee Valentine, Sr. and Wilma jean marries Edward Lee Stafford, her 2nd husband and have a son Edward lee Stafford, Jr in March of 1956 circa.
April 1, 1955 5th Child Charles Calvin Cunningham born to Arlie Dartis and Grace Ruth ball Cunningham while living at Hannah Ave Address behind Knoxville, Rod & Bearing Co. on Tulip Ave Knox., TN where Arlie was employed as a mechanic in a machine shop.
January 1, 1958 moved to 1816 Grand Ave Knoxville, TN 37916 close to Produce market off !7th St.
January circa 1960 moved to 1636 Grand Avenue off 17th street between 16th and 17th streets at end of concrete viaduct next to the Southern Railroad tracks.
February 18 1960 circa Arlie and Grace become grandparents again when Edward Lee Stafford and Wilma Jean Cuningham Valentine Stafford give birth to Wilma's only daughter Patricia Lynn (Patty) Stafford.
January 17, 1967 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham middle son jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr. leaves home to join the US Navy and is stationed at Little Creek, Va. On a Fleet Tug Boat called the USS MOSOPELIA ATF 158
May 31, 1968 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Cunningham's son Jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr. marries Carolyn Sue McCoy a local girl who lives at 1936 Louisiana Ave in the Lonsdale Community in Knoxville, also.
February 15, 1969 Arlie and Grace become grandparents for the 6th? Time when jerry and Carolyn's first born son Jerry Jr is born, Jerry & Carolyn live at 1117 Virginia Ave in Mechanicsville area of Knoxville, TN
January circa 1970 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and only 2 children at home now Walter David Ralph Cunningham and Charles Calvin Cunningham move to Tennessee Ave in Lonsdale
January circa 1970 Arlie Dartis Cunningham and Grace Ruth Cunningham along with 2 left at home sons Walter David Ralph Cunningham and Charles Calvin Cunningham move to Van Deventer street off of Sutherland Ave area known as marble City area of Knoxville, TN
January circa 1975 Grace Ruth Ball Cunningham finds a small 3 room "shotgun style " house for sale at 3018 Galbraith St in Knoxville, TN 37920 in Lonsdale Community for $3500 and asks her son jerry Lennis Cunningham, Sr. to try to acquire it with the meager remaining funds of $1000 which Arlie has left from an auto accident settlement he encountered previously.
March 23, 1983 Arlie Dartis Cunningham dies at the age of 69 at the family home at 3018 Galbraith St., Knoxville, TN of cancer of the lungs, spine, base of the skull and also the bones in left arm and possibly more.
January 2003 Grace suffers a sever stroke of the right side of her body and has to be hospitalized at St Mary's hospital at the age of 83 years old, this stroke would leave her some unstable and dementia begins to set in on her as she is aging and lives with her children Wilma, then Jerry and Ron and finally Wilma is aging and having severe depression problems and drug dependency due to having much prescription drugs and Grace has to go live with son Jerry & Carolyn Cunningham full time alternating also with her Son Ron & Linda Cunningham up until May 25, 2004 at which time Grace will go to Hillcrest North Healthcare facility on Tazewell Pike, this is ironic as years earlier this facility was used as a TB (Tuberculosis) hospital exclusively and Grace's only sister Thelma Louise Ball Underwood was in and out of this facility with the TB germ and also Carolyn Sue McCoy Cunningham, (Grace's daughter In Law and wife of Jerry Lennis Cunningham). Carolyn's Father James Lester (Chick) McCoy also died here with severe Emphazema in 1975 circa. (NOTE) This facility was converted to a Healthcare Facility for elderly primarily after James Lester (Chick) McCoy's death in 1980 circa.
March 2003 circa Grace has ongoing after effects form her stroke and has to have full time watch care for her and begins by living with her daughter Wilma and her husband Fred Denton at Byrd Drive in Kodak, TN.
May 25, 2004 Grace has to finally be admitted to Hillcrest North healthcare Center a nursing home on Tazewell Pike in North Knox County TN approx 5 miles form her last current home of Jerry & Carolyn Cunningham at 7514 Gibbs Road Corryton, TN 37721. It breaks Jerry's heart to have to do this, but the strain of his mate Carolyn caring for both Grace full time and also watching after Grace's Aunt Lola Thornhill who is at Hillcrest South Healthcare Center a skilled nursing facility in South Knox County TN becomes too much for Carolyn to handle and there is a fear of Carolyn suffering a stroke or heart attack form the excess strain of this care giving and also she has high blood pressure problems and her doctor Steven masters says she has to give it up or face sever illness and possible death due to stress levels.
Grace Ruth Ball
Notes for Grace Ruth Ball: