Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Cynthia Lee Johnson passed away on April 13, 2024 in Castle Pines, Colorado with her family beside her. She was 86 years old. Cynthia was born in Emmetsburg, Iowa on September 10, 1937 to parents Henry Christian Gray and Isabel VanderVoort Mayne Gray. She grew up in Olivia, Minnesota and graduated as valedictorian at age 16 from Olivia Public Schools. After high school, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in language arts education from the University of Minnesota and later a Master of Arts degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 1985. She married Thomas Johnson on June 25, 1960. After their early years together in Minnesota and New Hampshire, Cynthia and Tom moved to the Castle Rock, Colorado area where they lived nearly 55 years.
Cynthia began her career teaching English, Spanish, and social studies in Lovell, Wyoming and Roseville, Minnesota. In Colorado, she became an ESL teacher for the Douglas County School District and eventually a school counselor at Parker Junior High School and Ponderosa High School in Parker, Colorado, earning the honor of Colorado High School Counselor of the Year. Following her retirement, she and Tom spent 17 years ushering at the Denver Center for Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado.
Cynthia was active in many organizations, volunteering and serving in leadership roles for Habitat for Humanity, Denver Urban Ministries, Rocky Mountain Food Bank, and Girl Scouts Mile High Council for several decades. She also loved to travel; she and Tom were always on the go, both nearby and across the globe, visiting all 50 states and at least 49 countries over the years. There was no place Cynthia liked better than spending time outdoors, working in her extensive garden, camping and hiking with friends, mowing the lawn, or sitting in a chair on her deck reading mysteries beside her cats.
She is survived by her husband of 63 years Tom, three daughters Catherine Heaton (Marty), Elizabeth Johnson-Wold (Rick), Karen Bulling (Dan), six grandchildren Zach Bulling (Jackie), Nate Bulling, Rachel Heaton, Jacob Heaton (Alissa), Hannah Wold, Jared Wold, one great grandchild Addie Jo Heaton, two sisters-in-law Mary Ellyn Downes, Mary Ann Johnson, and five nieces Kari Scambos, Kim Valley, Cindy Lair, Nancy Mey, and Tracy McCrite.
We warmly welcome you to celebrate Cynthia’s life on Saturday, May 25 at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 1200 South Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104. Reception to follow. Interment of ashes will take place for the family at Cedar Hill Cemetery, 880 E. Wolfensberger Road, Castle Rock, CO 80109 at 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Cynthia's memory may be made to Heifer International [Ending Poverty and Caring for the Earth], https://www.heifer.org/give/donate-monthly.html.
