Cynthia Anne Wynn

Cynthia Anne Wynn, 71, of Lubbock, passed away January 11, 2011. A celebration of life will be at St. John Neumann Catholic Church starting at 7 pm Friday, January 14, 2011. The Christian Burial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, 10 am, also at St. John Neumann’s. Interment will follow in Resthaven Memorial Park.

Cynthia was born in Childress, TX to parents Macyrea (Smith) and Robert Caradine. She graduated from Childress High School, at 16 and was valedictorian of her class. She was active in the Disciples of Christ (Central Christian Church), as her grandparents & great grandparents were founders of this church. As a child, she was called to serve the Lord Jesus, and in the 5th grade she dedicated her life to Christian service and wanted to be a missionary. Cynthia had a great love for ministry and the church.

In Lubbock, she attended First Christian Church, Westmont Christian Church, and then Trinity Church. In 1973, she left a career as a medical technologist to pursue her dream of mission work. She served on the pastoral staff at Trinity Church for the next nine years and created the Trinity Ministry Center to work with the very poor in low income housing area called Hub Homes. She pioneered many innovative programs; one of them was the Summer Lunch Program., which included recreation & talent development for children. Cynthia made a profession of faith at St. John Neumann Catholic Church and became a member of the staff in 1982. She served as the development director, the coordinator of the Basic Christian Community Program, then as the CCE Director and Pastoral Associate for the next nine years. Then she served as the Associate Director of Mercy Center in Slaton and spent the next ten years turning an abandoned hospital into a 100 bed retreat center, and giving retreats and spiritual direction. In 1999, she became involved in the Rachel’s Vineyard Ministry, starting several satellite sites and serving as an Area Director, Trainer, Counselor, & Coordinator at retreats throughout Texas, New Mexico, & Hawaii. Throughout her life, she attended retreats at the Pecos Benedictine Monastery and considered it her second home. She joined the community there in 2007, and entered the Oblate program. Cynthia served the Pecos community through her charisma of hospitality, prayer, & servant hood, and while on property enjoyed hiking, camping, & pottery. Cynthia’s love of pottery began as a young woman, but was postponed until her children & grandchildren were grown. She often prayed that the Blessed Mother guide & inspire her and that her pottery would uplift other’s souls. Her interest in religious arts was enhanced by several Catholic pilgrimages to Europe & Rome. She had her own studio and created beautiful religious articles, vases, and serving pieces that are showcased in several shops in Santa Fe. She was an active member of the Llano Estacdo Clay Guild & the Wine & Clay Festivals. She believed in the Lord & did above & beyond the call of duty to spread his healing mercy & love. She is survived by three children: Lisa, Bruce, & Valerie Wynn, one granddaughter Beth Gowdy and five great grandchildren, Cameron, Allayha, Zavier, Macyrea, and Cara. She is preceded in death by her parents, Macyrea Smith & Robert Caradine. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to an educational fund in her name at American State Bank, or to the Pecos Benedictine Monastery, Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey, P.O. Box 1080, Pecos, NM 87552-1080.