Cynthia Robson Pomeroy

1933 - 2025

Cynthia Robson (Peterson) Pomeroy

Greenfield, MA - Cynthia Robson Pomeroy, 92, died in Greenfield, MA on Thanksgiving Day 2025, surrounded by family and love.

Cindy was born on August 12, 1933, in Glen Ridge, NJ, the daughter of Robson Frank Pomeroy and Katherine Northrup Pomeroy (née Babbitt), and raised in Bloomfield, NJ.

A resident of Greenfield since 2005, Cindy served her adopted community in many ways. She volunteered with the Literacy Project and the Friends of Greenfield Public Library. Her extensive service to Second Congregational Church included leadership in the Pastoral Search Committee that brought Rev. Adam Tierney-Eliot to Greenfield just this year.

A 1955 graduate of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA, Cindy earned a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland. Teaching was her calling, and she spent many years in classrooms nurturing the curiosity and confidence of learners of all ages. She retired from classroom teaching after fifteen years at Maret School in Washington, D.C.

Then in her late sixties, she served as Associate Director of Children's Resources International, a USAID initiative. In that role, she developed and published a family literacy curriculum and traveled to Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman to train aspiring teachers. She witnessed firsthand the transformative power of education, especially among women who were allowed to receive formal education for the first time in their lives. The experience deepened her conviction that education is the great bridge between cultures and a pathway to opportunity for all.

No child could ask for a better mother than Cindy Pomeroy. Her home was a place of music and laughter, and a sanctuary for young people in need. She never intended to be The Coolest Mom on the Block, but the title came to her naturally and inevitably.

Her guiding principles were clear: Everyone deserves an excellent education. To include people on society's margins is a moral imperative. Spiritual truth is not the possession of any one faith.

A devoted follower of Jesus, she saw grace in the teachings of the Buddha and Mohammed, while lamenting the cruelty sometimes committed in the name of religion. She was ahead of her time as a champion of feminist ideals, welcoming LGBTQ+ persons into church life, and organic gardening.

Late in life Cindy embraced her natural gift for narrative as a professional storyteller, delighting audiences young and old with her humor and imagination. She could find the funny side of almost anything, and laughter was a close companion through every chapter of her life.

Cindy was a lifelong learner, curious and questioning to the end. She taught her offspring to love and serve, to trust in family, and how to squeeze several great meals out of a single Thanksgiving turkey.

Her heroes included Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, and Nelson Mandela. Among her many muses she counted Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Winslow Homer, and A.A. Milne.

Cindy is remembered for her wit, warmth, and deep faith in the goodness of people. She believed that a well-told story could open hearts and serve as a balm.

She is survived by her four children: Joy Peterson Heyrman (Jack) of Batesville, VA; John Peterson of Greenfield, MA; Andrew Peterson (Lelane Schmitt) of Baltimore, MD; and Elizabeth Peterson (Mark Seibold), also of Greenfield. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren, one step-granddaughter, and one great-grandchild, all of whom she cherished.

Her marriage to Tom Peterson ended in divorce.

Cindy's wide circle of beloved friends included her "Merry Marys" women's group, Centering Prayer, several book clubs, writing group, water aerobics class at the Franklin County YMCA, and her friends of all ages at Second Church.

Her family thanks the community of caregivers who looked after her in her later years, with special thanks to Tammy Johnson, her helper since 2009, and to the caring and loving staff at Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care.

Burial took place in an intimate ceremony at Highland Woods Natural Burial Ground in Montague, MA. A Celebration of Life is planned for next spring.

Donations in Cindy's name may be made to the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library.