Cynthia Ford's Obituary
Cynthia Ford was a loving wife to Alista Ford, Jr., (deceased on April 12, 2024) loving mother of Vanessa Ford Jennings and Alista Ford III, dear sister of Earl Walter Jones and Alice Jones Barnes (both deceased) and respected grandmother of Chanel Jennings, Alista Ford IV, Lester Ford (deceased), Cynthia Ford, London Ford and Jason Ford. She was also an attentive mother-in-law to Vanessa’s husband, Brian Lewis. Also surviving are many nephews, nieces and cousins.
Cynthia was born in Brooklyn, NY on July 2nd,1934 to the late Ethel Deas Jones and Walter Earl Jones. She lived in Brooklyn, NY prior to moving to Jamaica, Queens NY in 1972. Earlier this year she moved to Hackensack, NJ to be closer to family. She attended Girl’s HS as well as Long Island University in Brooklyn, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education with a concentration in special education. She met the love of her life; Alista, in 1947, when she was13 years old while walking on the beach at Coney Island with her friends. Alista was immediately smitten when he saw her and wanted her phone number, but Cynthia would only give it to him after he gave her his lunch. They married on August 20, 1955, and were married for nearly 69 years.
Cynthia was a retired early childhood special education teacher with the City of New York’s Department of Education. Prior to that she had administrative positions at the City University Of New York. In addition, she was active in her community as a Boy Scouts Den Mother and a Troop Leader of Girl Scouts. Volunteering with the Catholic Church, fostering citizenship, communication and teamwork were her passions. She loved music, especially R&B, and was an excellent cook who delighted in baking cakes for her family. She also loved to travel and took many vacation cruises with her family. Cynthia had a passion for children’s literature and knew the importance of public libraries. She was a member of the Black Educators of New York, as well as being a proud member of the NYC United Federation of Teachers. She was extraordinarily lucky and often shared her luck with friends and family.
Before her death she prayed with Mount Olive Baptist Church’s Chairman of the Deacon Board, as well as with the Hackensack University Medical Center’s Chaplain and lastly, she received last rites, confessed her sins and took the Eucharist from the same hospital’s priest. She died painlessly in her sleep at the Hackensack University Medical Center on the evening of Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 6:44 pm. She was 90 when she left us after a prolonged illness and a lengthy hospitalization.
Cynthia Ford would want to be remembered as a woman dedicated to her family and one who was willing to contribute service in her community. Mrs. Ford was an excellent mentor to her daughter, son and granddaughter, Chanel. She loved international cuisines, classic movies, gameshows and sitcoms. Best of all she was a woman who loved God Almighty and had accepted His son Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. We will miss her greatly. Cremation will occur the day after the funeral and the family request privacy during that difficult time.
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