LI native killed in New Mexico workplace shooting

Brentwood native Sharon Godfrey Cunningham was a whiz at computers, her family said, and her skills landed her jobs in New York, Delaware and then New Mexico. There she found her dream job, got married and had a child, even as she engaged in her favorite activities: running and gourmet cooking.

But on July 12, while she was at work in Albuquerque, N.M., an ex-employee walked into the plant and opened fire, killing Cunningham, another woman and himself at Emcore Corp., in the country's most recent workplace rampage.

Cunningham was 47.

Hundreds of her co-workers and relatives attended her wake and funeral in Albuquerque last weekend. She was buried there Saturday in Gate of Heaven Cemetery after a funeral Mass at Pope John XXIII Church, relatives said.

The former Sharon Godfrey grew up in Brentwood and graduated from St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip.

She was awarded a full scholarship to Pace University and attended its Pleasantville campus, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1984, her mother, Veronica Godfrey of Brentwood, said.

Cunningham's knack for computers showed itself early on, as she excelled in her courses and quickly landed a job as an analyst with AT&T in White Plains, Kraft General Foods in Delaware and Avon in Westchester County.

She moved to Albuquerque in 2000 to work for Emcore, a fiber optics and solar power company, and to be closer to Colin Cunningham, whom she met during a summer trip to Lake George in 1998. They married in 2003 shortly after Cunningham, a National Guardsman, returned from a tour of duty at the start of the Iraq war.

She soon was pregnant with their daughter, Caitlin, now 6.

Sharon Cunningham doted on her daughter and husband, Godfrey said, adding that "she'd do anything for Caitlin."

She loved her job, too, he said, and devoted many hours to the firm's success.

"She really was a very hard worker," Godfrey said. "Her work ethic was great. She never gave up on anything and she always responded when they needed her."

Godfrey said Cunningham delighted in cooking, especially for her daughter, who has special dietary needs, and enjoyed her 5:30 a.m. runs with friends.

In addition to her mother, husband and daughter, Cunningham is survived by two brothers, Joseph Godfrey of Plymouth, Conn., and Kevin Godfrey of Smithtown; two sisters, Cathaleen Donnelly of Campbell Hall, N.Y., and Christine Nappo of Baldwin; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Donations may be made to the Sharon Cunningham Memorial Fund at any Bank of America branch, or by mail at Emcore Memorial Funds, c/o Emcore Corp., 10420 Research Rd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123.