“Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Cindy Marie Hays, it summarized in every way who she was. She was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around her and always thinking before acting. She was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything she did. She was a friendly person who truly cared about those around her.
She was the daughter of Helen Elizabeth Hays and George A. Hays. Raised in Washington, DC, New Zealand, Pakistan, Nigeria, Philippines, and Greensboro, NC, she was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy. As a child, she learned to be conscientious, responsible and punctual. These were all traits that she would carry with her throughout her life.
As a young girl, Cindy was always aware of how others around her felt and this quality served her well. With a deep capacity to tolerate the feelings of others, Cindy was generally able to avoid conflicts. It seemed as if Cindy was the family member who was always working to keep stress at bay. Preferring a quiet environment where she could concentrate, Cindy also had the ability to relate well with her family and friends. Cindy was raised with two brothers. Robert K. And Richard M. Cindy was constantly involved in activities with her family. Cindy and her siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up but they deeply cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years.
Growing up, Cindy was one of those children who didn’t need to be in the center of a whirlwind of activity. She was content to entertain herself. Cindy was never pushy when it came to games and other activities, but rather, she was able to enjoy the pure fun these could bring. In just about everything she did as a child, Cindy was intent on pleasing both the adults and the other children around her. Cindy took part in a number of activities as a child. She was active in biking and swimming. She was a girl scout. In her spare time she liked knitting and oil painting.
Cindy enjoyed learning. She always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Cindy was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. She often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Cindy was painstaking and accurate in her efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. She graduated from American School in the Philippines and Grimsley High School in Greensboro in 1978. Cindy enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was art.
Cindy was enthusiastic about her challenges in college. She always enjoyed reading, so all of those lengthy required reading assignments seemed to be less of a burden for her. In fact, Cindy seemed to absorb and remember everything she read. Not all things came easily to Cindy, however, and she found success by being a diligent and accurate person who would dig into a project and work through until it reached its completion. She was very thorough and labored long and hard in order to reach her goals. She earned her bachelor of science in nutrition. Her favorite courses were nutrition and dietetics and they became her specialty.
Most folks would say that Cindy was shy until they got to know her. Those who were privileged to know her well learned that she was a solid, good friend. Cindy was reluctant to generalize about people, and she based her friendships on her personal experiences. Because of this, Cindy best trusted those people that she truly knew. She was concerned about how those around her felt, and she always seemed to uncover the positive side of people. She could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to “walk a mile in their shoes,” as the saying goes. The friends that she made, Cindy kept. Later in life, she became friends with Tammy Toslosky; her best friend from her college days who is now living in Chicago, IL.
If you gave Cindy a deadline, she would meet it. At work, Cindy was always on task. Without hesitation, Cindy could adhere to any assignment and see it through to its completion. Her primary occupation was nutritionist. She was employed for the counties of Rowan, Randolph, Davidson and Guilford. During that time, Cindy excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. She was able to quickly grasp ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Cindy was good at staying on track and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Cindy had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. She was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.
Cindy liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced Cindy's choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, Cindy preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to work on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were reading, art, knitting and cooking. Cindy was content to sit quietly alone, enjoying her hobbies all by herself and could often be found just reading about her favorite pastimes.
While thorough and measured in her approach to things, Cindy often liked to physically do things rather than just think about them. She was like that with sports. Recreational sports included golf, biking, and swimming. She also enjoyed the statistical data and the facts behind the sports. In this way, she was something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite teams whenever she got the opportunity.
Due to her excellent organizational skills, Cindy was a welcome addition to the professional and community organizations to which she belonged. Cindy could bring established, successful methods to the discussion table, along with a generous helping of common sense. Cindy was good at making and keeping schedules and never got bogged down in unnecessary details. Throughout her later years, Cindy was a member of the Dutch Settlers of NY and a member of The Mayflower Society.
An individual who respected and maintained traditional values, her faith was important to Cindy. Her compassion, consideration and sympathy toward others was evident in her personal beliefs. She was a member St. Pius X Catholic Church. During that time, she was active in the religious education programs and Right to Life.
Anyone who traveled or went on vacation with Cindy had smooth sailing. It was often taken for granted that she was the trip planner. She would start early and examine all of the possibilities, selecting the best and most effective options. Favorite vacations included Emerald Isle, Lake Champlagin, NY and Pipestem, WV.
Cindy had Maggie, a dachaund, who was her best friend for 6 years. Cindy was as loyal to her pets as they were to her.
Cindy passed away on September 10, 2010 at High Point Regional Hospital. She is survived by father, George, and brothers, Robert and Richard. Services were held at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro, NC. Cindy was laid to rest in Westminster Gardens in Greensboro, NC.
It is said that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Cindy was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Cindy was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of woman to whom everyone was drawn. She was thorough and practical. Cindy Hays was very literal with her words. You always knew where you stood with Cindy. She will be missed.
She was remembered by Elly Phillips with the following loving words:
When I think of Cindy, I think of the expression on her face whenever she caught sight of her older brother, my partner Rob, whom she adored. When Cindy saw Rob, her lovely face illuminated by such innocent joy and delight that it was one of the things I most looked forward to whenever Rob and I went to visit his family.
All of us who knew Cindy were touched by that same love. And it was love without stain or stop, because Cindy’s beautiful soul bare of the armor of “self” that the rest of us layer on to shield us throughout our lives: our working self, our family self, our public self. But Cindy was transparent. Looking at Cindy, you could see her very soul. To see a person’s soul is a rare, an awesome, a humbling experience. It was also a call.
Because Cindy lived without armor, she was defenseless against the shadows that so often darkened the sun of her being. But those of us who endured with her the torments of her suffering could still see clearly behind them what Mother Teresa called our Lord in his distressing disguise. This, too, is a call.
And when at last the shadows would pass, the pure light that was Cindy shone as brightly and clearly as ever upon all of us who loved her. She illuminated every thing and every one she touched.
I think that those of us who knew Cindy Hays can speak with confidence of the certainty of Heaven, because in her face, in her heart, we saw a foretaste of it on earth. May God bless her and keep her until we meet again.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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