Cynthia “Cindy” Lynn Drake, 63, of Morgantown, passed from J.W. Ruby Hospital to a better place on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born to Dorothy and the late Thomas A. Drake. We celebrate Cindy’s positivity and her bravery as she dealt with cancer for several years.
Cindy is survived by her loving husband and faithful caregiver, Timothy Hawthorne; her mother, Dorothy Drake; her sister, Debbie (Dickie) Tampoya; and her nephews, Justin (Wendy) Smith and Ben (Bronlyn) Smith. Also left to cherish the memory of “Aunt Cindy” are her great-nieces Rylea, Emma, Maggie and Mia Smith, who brought her constant joy. She is also survived by Tim’s sister, Cindy; Tim’s niece, Courtney, and children, Jada, David and Ashley, of Winchester, Va.; Tim’s brother, David (Vesi); and her nephew, Keian, of Bulgaria. She also leaves behind her sweet fur babies, Daisy and Itty Bit and her lifelong “partner in crime,” Sherrie McKinney and family. She was fortunate to also have been surrounded by loving and caring neighbors on Lawnview Drive
In addition to her dad, she was preceded in death by her in-laws, Mary Rose and Larry Hawthorne, of Huntington, and maternal and paternal grandparents.
Cindy attended Central Elementary in Morgantown and then Ona Junior High in Barboursville after the family moved to Huntington. She graduated from Barboursville High, where she was very active as a majorette in the band. She was also lead singer for a local garage band in high school. She attended Marshall and West Virginia University and went on to a profession of information technology, first with JCPenney Co., in Atlanta, and then at WVU as assistant program manager at the Health Sciences IT Help Desk.
Cindy was a master-gardener. She could grow anything. She worked long hours in her flower beds which were a masterpiece. She also loved animals and would take in multiple strays and give them a life of luxury and love. Her favorite pastime was reading and her collection of first edition books is amazing. She loved vacationing to the beach and spending summers at our camp on the backwaters of Cheat Lake water-skiing, swimming, building campfires and generally living any child’s dream.
During the line dance craze, Cindy loved her dancing, teaching classes and even performed on TV at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Tenn.
Visitation will be held at Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home, from 11 a.m. until the service at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, with Pastor Kevin Cain officiating. Cremation is being arranged by Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home and Cindy will be laid to rest at Olive Cemetery at a later date.
Condolences:
www.fredjenkinsfuneralhome.com
