On November 25 th 2023, God decided that he was ready for his faithful servant Alona to come home. Alona Sperling Cunningham was born on April 4, 1944 to the late Alex and Bama Lee Sperling of Birmingham, Alabama. She attended Tuggle Elementary School and A. H. Parker High School, where she graduated in January of 1961. Alona accepted Christ at an early age. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 10 and started playing for the Sunday School at Sardis Baptist Church at the age of 12. As a teenager she also played at Harmony Street Baptist Church. Alona attended Miles College for one year and then received a music scholarship to Jackson State University in Jackson Mississippi. At Jackson
State she majored in music with a minor in Mathematics, and received her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education. During her time at Jackson State she met her future husband Jerry Cunningham while tutoring him in piano.

After her matriculation at Jackson State she taught school in Jackson Mississippi briefly. Alona and Jerry would later make the move to Binghamton New York, where Alona received a fellowship to State University New York (SUNY) and received her Master's Degree in Music  ducation. She has taught music at several schools throughout her musical career. She was the music teacher and choir Director at West End High School from 1994 to 2008. During her time at West End, she mentored and molded several students and also assisted in students receiving  music scholarships. She also was the music teacher and Choir Director at Jackson Olin High School from 2008 until her retirement in 2010. Alona was a proud member of Birmingham Community Mass Choir for 25 years and she loved hanging out with her bonus sons, Jermaine, Eric, Donovan, Jonathan and Greg. She was the Director of Music at Sardis Baptist church for over 40 years where she taught Anthems, Spirituals, and Gospel Music. Alona was also a classically trained pianist and loved opera. In early 2019 she founded Sacred Harmony, a choral group of singers who loved to sing and Praise the Lord. This group gave her a lot of joy. She later joined First Memorial Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Al Moore and was a faithful member of the Music Ministry, Senior Adult, and Women's Ministry until her illness prevented her from doing so. She was a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Alona loved to cook and was famous for her Cornbread Dressing, Spaghetti, Shrimp and Grits and Breakfast Casserole. If you ever ate one of her Cold Cut Sandwiches, you would never want to eat Subways again. Alona was meticulous about her music. If she taught you a part, she expected you to learn it.

Alona was preceded in death by her parents, Alex and Bama Sperling, her sister Lenora Sperling Young and her brother Everette Sperling (Angeline).

She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband of 58 years Jerry Cunningham, her children Audra Cunningham Streety and Damon Cunningham and her grandchildren whom she absolutely adored Justin Cunningham and Alexis Streety. She was also a stepmother to Victor Cunningham, Stephanie Herbert and Sheila Lipsey. She also leaves behind sisters-in law Angeline Sperling, Vernice Standfield, Winifred Harrison, Merthell Sanders, Earlene Larry, one brother-In law Olinford Cunningham, niece Evonne, 4 great nephews, Anton Thomas, Alferer Dotson, Tommy Dotson, Courtney Dotson, and 3 great nieces, Alfredia Dyer, Brittany Levert Pruitt and Janae Levert Lewis and a host of cousins and friends