Cindy Lou Herman

Cindy was born on July 23, 1947, in Peoria, Illinois to Grant and Angeline Herman. She attended Peoria schools, where she established a reputation early on as a seeker of the spotlight. From the moment she won a talent contest with a scandalously kinetic Elvis imitation at Calvin Coolidge School, the die was cast. From then on she was a favorite performer in school plays, and at Bradley University, but her big break came in 1968 when she was one of only 18 students admitted to the inaugural class of the Julliard School of Drama. There she studied with such notable Julliard graduates such as Patti LuPone, Kevin Kline, David Ogden Stiers, and Christopher Reeve.

She graduated in 1972 and became a member of the Acting Company where she appeared in numerous Broadway plays and television productions. In 1977 she originated the role of Susie Friend in Uncommon Women and others in a cast that included Meryl Streep, Swoozie Kurtz, and Jill Eikenberry. Other Broadway appearances included The Three Sisters, The Beggar's Opera, Measure for Measure, and Les Fourberies de Scapin. She appeared in the PBS anthology series Great Performances, Anyone for Tennyson and The Poetry Hall of Fame. She appeared in TV commercials for Apple Computers and Johnson and Johnson among others.

For the next decade, Cindy built a respected career in New York theater and television. But the call of a simpler life was never far off. In 1983 she made the decision to return to Peoria, to home and family and the black dirt of the Heartland she loved so much. She bought a farmhouse and a goat and planted a garden. Later, she moved in with her mother and cared for her until her death. During that time, Cindy worked as a substitute teacher and pursued writing. She authored a self-help book, Sound, Movement, and Tears, which incorporated her longstanding interest in metaphysics and spirituality.

Above all else, Cindy loved her family. She never showed up at a family gathering without a basketful of gifts, gems carefully curated from garage sales according to the individual interests of family members-- recipe books, antique jewelry, crystal vases, stuffed birds, silver spoons—ceremoniously wrapped in brown paper and presented with immense love.

She is survived by her beloved sisters, Sandra (Richard) Gebhardt and Pamela (Don) Toler of Peoria, nieces Jaymie (Harry) Simmon of Chicago and Jill (Joel) Dryden of Peoria, nephews Roger (Barbara) Strand of Mount Prospect, Rick (Martiza) Gebhardt of Peoria, and numerous cousins, grandnieces and grandnephews, all of whom adored their wild Aunt Cindy. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Margie (Frank) Strand, brother-in-law Richard Gebhardt, nephews Ted and Randy Gebhardt, and grand-nephew Brock Gebhardt.

A celebration of her life will be scheduled at a later date.