Cynthia DuVal Higgins Hutcheson

Cynthia (Cindy) DuVal Higgins Hutcheson was born on May 4, 1948 in New Braunfels, TX. She grew up in Houston and moved to Austin in 1966 to attend the University of Texas. She met and fell in love with her husband, Jim, during college and they married August 30, 1969. She soon after graduated in three years with a Bachelor of Science in Clothing, Textiles, and Fashion Design with Honors. She started her family early with the births of Becca in 1972 and Lissa in 1975. She moved to the Westlake area in 1978 and was a part of the community for the remainder of her life. While her children were young, Cindy was an active volunteer with several community groups, including the Heritage Society, The Austin Natural History Museum, and served as chair and then president of the neighborhood association. During this same time she produced a line of children's clothes under the label Kit Kats. In 1982 Cindy returned to school, commuting to San Marcos [at now Texas State University] to pursue a lifelong interest in the legal field. She received a Certificate as a certified Legal Assistant and started working for McGinnis, Lochridge, and Kilgore in 1983. In 1998 she was a member of the first class of paralegals in the State of Texas and the first in Austin to be board certified in Estate Planning and Probate. She was named the next year to the Board Specialization Committee and later served as Chairman of the committee. She continued to enjoy working with her clients and colleagues at McGinnis, Lochridge, and Kilgore until her diagnosis with lung cancer in December, 2007 forced her to give up her work. Cindy loved to travel, to visit art museums, to read crime and mystery novels, the Christmas season, Amy's Ice Cream, and above all being a grandmother. Cindy is survived by her husband, Jim, her daughters, Rebecca Elizabeth Hutcheson of Seattle and Melissa Catherine Hutcheson Bentley of Austin, her son-in-law Alex Bentley and grandson, Max Bentley. Cindy fought with all she had to live to meet her second grandson due 12/27/09, but lost her battle on 11/8/09 with her daughters at her bedside. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 13, 2009 at First United Methodist Church of Austin, 1201 Lavaca. Cindy requested that contributions be made to the Organ Restoration Fund at First United Methodist Church, Austin, or to the stained glass fund at Calvary Episcopal Church in Bastrop, TX (603 Spring St., Bastrop, Texas 78602) to help support the church her family helped establish in 1869 and the building her great-great grandfather helped build. Cindy's family would like to thank Dr. Beth Hellerstedt and Dr. Stanley Kim for all of their efforts to help her survive, and Seton Hospital nurses and Christopher House staff for helping her have a peaceful death. We are grateful to her coworkers at McGinnis, Lochridge, and Kilgore as they were steadfast friends to her up until the very end. We also appreciate all of the many family and friends who prayed and supported Cindy and her family during her illness.