Native Ocalan turns 101

Allean Francis Burton-Cunningham, who turns 101 on June 4, poses at her southeast Ocala home on June 2 with, at left, her daughters Erica Pearl Cunninghma, kneeling, and Evelyn Chisholm, and her sister Algene Burton-Hopkins. [Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]

Allean Francis Burton-Cunningham’s daughter, Evelyn Chisholm, said her mother’s formula for a century-plus life doesn’t involve diet or exercise. 

“It’s Jesus. He is her doctor,” said Chisholm.

Chisholm said her mother is a “beautiful person” who lives by the Golden Rule.

Cunningham, an Ocala native, is set to celebrate her 101st birthday on June 4. She is a lifelong resident of the vicinity of East Maricamp Road and Southeast 36th Avenue, once known as Montage. 

Family members said she attends Sunday services and weekly Bible study at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church at 3861 SE Maricamp Road, where the family has been going for at least 50 years. 

“I go to hear the good news about the Lord,” said Cunningham. Her favorite hymn is “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” 

Cunningham spoke clearly and shook hands with a strong grasp during a recent visit in her home.

Cunningham’s daughters, Chisholm, Erica Pearl Cunningham and Olivia Watson, gathered earlier this week at the home in southeast Ocala where their mother lives with her sister, Algene Burton-Hopkins, 87.

Cunningham’s education included attending a one room school on the grounds of Mount Canaan Church on Baseline Road, according to her family. She and her husband Lester Cunningham Sr., who worked construction, had eight boys and three girls, now ranging in age from 57 to 78. Lester passed away about 40 years ago.

Chisholm said her mother worked for a time at a furniture store on South Pine where her eldest son once worked. 

The family’s memories of the Montague area include Southeast 31st Street, which is now a four-lane divided road, being a dirt road. A poodle breeder maintained a kennel in the area, according to one family member. A major development, Oak Hammock Preserves Townhouses is now in the vicinity.

A Nov. 16, 2022, “Gazette” article details how a loan through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program, approved by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, helped Cunningham upgrade from the home where she had lived for about 60 years, which was in need of major repairs, to a new home on an adjacent lot. A granite marker in front of her home traces names in the Burton family, starting with her parents, Johnny and Florence Burton.

Allean Francis Burton-Cunningham, who turns 101 on June 4, poses at her southeast Ocala home on June 2. [Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]