Cynthia Corbett O'Boyle

August 2, 1923 - December 16, 2019

Cynthia Corbett O’Boyle of Traverse City, MI, passed away at her home on December 16 after a brief illness. Cynthia was 96 and is survived by her 7 children: Stephen Fisher (Ann), Mari Kelley (Bill), Gretchen Gladieux, Teresa Horak, Brian Fisher (Vera), Kathleen Hoagg (Doug) and John Fisher (Catherine). She married Dr. Robert Fisher in 1944 while he was serving in the Navy. In 1974 she married James E. O’Boyle, a senior executive with the Ford Motor Company who passed away suddenly in 1979. In addition to her children, Cynthia has 17 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 6 stepchildren. Growing up as a single child Cynthia always dreamed of having a large family. She certainly succeeded in that and always kept us close, both when we were growing up and as adults. Our whole family got together for over 30 summers on Lake Leelanau and for holidays. She was always there for us when needed and was insistent that we be close friends and support each other Cynthia was born in Detroit and lived in San Francisco early in her life before returning to Detroit. She graduated from the Academy of the Sacred Heart on Lawrence Avenue, where she was valedictorian in her senior year. She then attended Marygrove College and the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. Cynthia worked as a runway model during the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s. She is a past president of the Alumnae of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, MI, which she helped build and her four daughters attended. Cynthia was a Life Member of the Christ Child Society and a past member of the Village Club in Bloomfield Hills and the Old Mission Women’s Club. Cynthia traveled extensively during her life and was well-informed on social, political and international issues. She thoroughly enjoyed a good discussion and had an infectious sense of humor. Her children’s friends were always welcome and many of them considered her to be their second mother and our family their second family. Cynthia was at peace at her passing and was grateful for all her years with family and friends. Her warm heart and strong values will be greatly missed, and she will always be in our hearts. A visitation will be held at Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home on Friday, December 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made in her honor to The Father Fred Foundation in Traverse City or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.