Cynthia Nelson

Cynthia Nelson was born on June 14th, 1943 in Brooklyn NY at a Jewish hospital. She was the daughter of the late Annie and Alexander Peterkin and sister to six siblings: the late Alexander Peterkin Jr., a.k.a 'Baby Ray', Ali, a.k.a 'Petey', Katherine, and her remaining successors, Lugeria, Denise and Stephanie.

Cynthia leaves behind her children, Isaac (Khadri) Nelson, Rashid Nelson and Khadijah Nelson; her grandchildren, Khadri Jr. and Ananya and her great-granddaughter, Akira. As well as a host of nieces and nephews that intimately refer to her as "Aunt Tinny".

As a child, Cynthia was educated in the public school system and attended P.S. 93 Elementary School, before being transferred to P.S. 70. She later attended Franklin K. Lane High School. After she graduated, she entered into the work force at the age of 22. Her employment history includes her first job at Merritt Enterprises, Sinclair Knitting Mills, The Bureau of Child Welfare (BCW), and City University Of New York (C.U.N.Y), where she began a long career at Medgar Evers College in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. She was employed at C.U.N.Y as an administrative assistant for a total of 27 years and spent a majority of those years (1971 to 1997) with her Medgar Evers College family, where she completed three years of her own college education, and received honors and recognition for her achievements made as a valued employee there. Cynthia later transferred from Medgar Evers College and began work at York College in 1997. After moving from Brooklyn to Jamaica Queens, New York, she remained at York College until she retired from C.U.N.Y in June of 2003.

After her retirement, Cynthia moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia to enjoy her new life and welcome the newest addition to her family, her granddaughter, Ananya, who was born in July of 2003. Cynthia later moved from Virginia Beach to Chesapeake, Virginia in 2005, along with her daughter and granddaughter. She played a pivotal role in her kids' and grandkids' lives and appreciated them greatly. She was adamant in having them know their heritage, history and to stand proud in who they are today.

During her last month with us, she moved to Hampton, Virginia with her daughter, granddaughter, and daughter's fiancé and family, while recuperating from her own illness. She would often say with a smile, "I'm enjoying my journey," and that she did. Cynthia was an active member of several social clubs and organizations, including The New York Exchange of Virginia, a club for retirees from the north, The AARP and The Chesapeake Democratic Women's Committee. She also participated with the local Birthday Club.

Mom took her last breath on Saturday, April 25, 2020 in the comfort of her home surrounded by her loved ones. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, just as she preferred. Although she is no longer physically here with us, her journey is not over. Her loving, jovial spirit will forever live on with each memory we have of her.

Cynthia loved her family and friends very much and was dearly loved and admired by the masses. We will miss our Mommy, Grandma, a.k.a "G-ma", Aunt Tinny, or "Cyn," as she was so affectionately referred to by others. We will forever honor her and keep her close to our hearts, until we meet again along her journey.

A mother's love is a gift from God that will live forever in the hearts of her children. Our mother was the epitome of love therefore, we want to dedicate the following poem to her:

"Because We Care"

We thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new

We thought about you yesterday, and days before that too.

We think of you in silence, we often speak your name,

Now all we have are memories, your picture in a frame.

Your memory our keepsake, with which we'll never part.

God has you in his keeping, we have you in our heart.

-Author Unknown