Cynthia Herak

Cynthia was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Cynthia wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Cynthia was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Cynthia was born on February 6,1956 at Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of Mary Ellen Joss and Julius Herbert Muller. Cynthia was raised in Chicago, Illinois. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Cynthia might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Cynthia was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Cynthia was raised with seven siblings. She had an older brother Michael (Mickey), older sister Jeannie, younger brother Robert (predeceased), James (Jimmy), Tom, Patrick, and younger sister Margaret (Peg). Cynthia was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Cynthia was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Cynthia well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Cynthia was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Cynthia was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Cynthia took part in karate. She was a girl scout. In her spare time she liked playing with bugs and insects. Cynthia's memorable achievements included playing Mary, mother of god in a church celebration. Cynthia had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover. One very special childhood friend was her cousin Judy Frolich, whom she was very close to when growing up.

During her high school years, Cynthia responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Glen Ellen High School in 1973. Cynthia was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Cynthia absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Cynthia, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Cynthia a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything.

Cynthia did well in college, as a result of her comfort level with tackling new theories and her love of learning. She earned her Associates Degree in Nursing (LVN). Her favorite courses were nursing and journalism. Cynthia was very adaptable, a quality that helped her make the transition from high school to college with little difficulty. As a result, Cynthia's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge almost guaranteed that she enjoyed virtually every class she took. Cynthia was always in quest of new things to learn and experience

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Cynthia was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Cynthia was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Vida Mueller, Kim Genge and Mary Jane Bilek. Later in life, she became friends with Audrey Haynie, Jerry Holmes, Yvonne Serrato and Linda Abbott.

On June 6, 1981 Cynthia married Alan Herak at Civil Ceremony of Upland, California. Cynthia's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Alan's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Cynthia was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Cynthia was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Cynthia, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Herak home. Cynthia's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Cynthia was blessed with three children: Alecia (predeceased), Cassondra and Chris. They were also blessed with two grandchildren, Joseph Thomas (J. T.) and London.

Cynthia was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was nursing (LVN). She was employed for over 25 years. Cynthia was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Cynthia had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Cynthia's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Cynthia loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were staying active in her church, music, dancing and taking care of her grandchildren. Cynthia had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Cynthia's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Cynthia derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Recreational sports included pool and bowling. Cynthia was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity.

Because Cynthia was constantly in the center of things and where the action was, she always seemed willing to join in and help, regularly getting involved in community activities. Cynthia's gift of planning and improvisation, along with a talent for rallying support, made her a great asset. Cynthia found new ways of getting things done in order to help make just about every activity more efficient and enjoyable. Cynthia was an active member of several community groups, serving on committees for feeding the homeless through Vineyard Church.

Cynthia was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of Vineyard Church for 7 years and a member of Our Lady of the Assumption for 12 years. During that time, she was feeding the homeless, missionary at home work, and school nurse for Our Lady of the Assumption. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Cynthia's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Cynthia took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included Rosarito Beach, Mexico, Hawaii and Costa Rica.

Cynthia was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Rexie, a Cocker Spaniel and Princess a Pug, were her best friends. Rexie for 10 years and Princess for 12 years. Her family was rounded out by various pets throughout her lifetime.

When Cynthia's retirement finally came in 2000, Cynthia handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Cynthia to master. Her new life involved relocating to Claremont, California. In retirement, she found new pleasure in staying active in church, feeding the homeless and performing missionary work. Even in retirement, Cynthia continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Cynthia Herak passed away on October 2, 2012 at San Diego Hospice Inpatient Hospital, San Diego. She battled lupus for 12 years, and also fought a brave battle against lung cancer since July 2011. She is survived by her two children Cassondra and Chris, grandchildren Joseph Thomas and London, her mother Mary Ellen Dillon, sisters Jeannie DeGroot, Peg Scott, brothers Michael (Mickey) Muller, James (Jimmy) Muller, Tom Muller and Patrick Muller. Services are being held at Funeraria Del Angel Humphrey. Cynthia will be laid to rest in Hammond, Wisconsin.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Cynthia. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Cynthia Herak for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Cynthia was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.

***In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to*** San Diego Hospice, Attn: Foundation Dept.,

4311 Third Avenue

San Diego, CA 92103

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