Cynthia Montaldo Card

Cynthia Theresa Montaldo Card (Cindy) was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on October 10, 1954, to John C. Montaldo and Theresa P. Montaldo. Cindy joined the saints in heaven on All Saints Day, November 1, 2025. She had been courageously fighting primary peritoneal cancer, a rare cancer similar to ovarian cancer, since March of 2025.
Cindy is survived by her loving family: husband Peter M. Card of Plant City; daughter Stephanie C. Curl (Edward), of Lakeland, Florida; son Peter J. Card (Momoko) of Onomichi, Japan; granddaughters Charlotte & Annelise Curl; sister Karen Benitez (Nicholas) of Zephyrhills, Florida; brother John V. Montaldo (Theresa) of Blairsville, Georgia; her sisters and brothers-in-law; and beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her parents and her grandparents.
We didn't want her to go, but she went gracefully and peacefully from the safety and love of the beautiful home she and Pete raised their children in, and where she made many happy memories with them, with her granddaughters, and with extended family and many friends.
Cindy was raised in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, where she attended St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School. She graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1973. She met her husband Pete while working at a restaurant called the Clam Hut in Highlands, New Jersey, and they were married at St. Agnes on April 16, 1977. They moved from Atlantic Highlands to New Monmouth, New Jersey; then to New Port Richey, Florida; and finally settled in Plant City.
Cindy was proud of her Italian and Polish heritage, and was unapologetically a Jersey Girl through and through sweet as you can be, but always ready to speak up for anyone she loved, even if that meant adding in a dose of "Jersey attitude!"
Having grown up "down the shore," she was at her happiest when she was at the beach, especially with her siblings and cousins as a child, and then with her husband, children, and grandchildren. She loved the water, the sand, the sun, and made some of her favorite memories collecting shells, walking along the shoreline, and even occasionally grabbing a boogie board to catch some waves.
Cindy's favorite shows included Perry Mason, Wheel of Fortune, the Andy Griffin Show, The Golden Girls, I Love Lucy, Everybody Loves Raymond, and shows on HGTV like House Hunters. She loved Italian food, and always had a sweet tooth for things like ice cream, chocolate cake, chocolate and peanut butter candy (like Reese's), and Twizzlers.
Family was one of the most important things in Cindy's life. She was always so proud of and supportive of everything her children, their spouses, and her granddaughters did, and would always "get a kick out of the kids' antics." She loved to "fuss over" her granddaughters, taking time to spend with them and doing fun annual traditions, such as making a gingerbread house every Christmas.
Cindy's humor and ability to quickly spout a line from a song, a show, or a movie, would crack everyone up. She often quipped that she must have missed her calling of being a stand-up comedienne. Her ability to remember minute details of people, events, and places (even from many years ago), earned her the nickname "the computer" among her family.
Many people in Plant City may recognize Cindy from her time as a receptionist at Clayton Dermatology. She also worked for several years as a greeting card representative for Gibson Greetings, and as a medical receptionist at what is now St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa. In her early working days in New Jersey, she worked as a dental assistant.
Her love languages were acts of service and giving gifts. She was always finding ways to do both by making food, bringing flowers, creating gift baskets, sending cards, offering encouragement to others, or giving random little gifts just because, which she called "a happy" (a term also used by her late dear friend, Gale Williams).
Faith was a central part of Cindy's life. As a parishioner of St. Clement Catholic Church, she was part of a group who prays the rosary every Wednesday, a member and past treasurer of St. Clement Council of Catholic Women, and previously served as a eucharistic minister. She was supportive of her husband Pete's involvement in the Knights of Columbus and My Brother's Keeper. She was also a charter member of the Columbiettes of St. Stephen's in Valrico where she served as treasurer, and was also involved in the Women's Emmaus ministry at Resurrection Catholic Church in Lakeland.
Cindy loved gardening and arranging flowers, which led her to join the Plant City Garden Club. In addition to being a member for 13 years and holding various positions on the executive board, Cindy was the club's "Sunshine Girl," in charge of items like sending birthday cards and well wishes to club members. She won many blue ribbons for floral design and even received the Pillar of Pride Award for her dedication to the organization. Her community involvement didn't stop there she also served for many years as a band parent for the Plant City High School Raider Band, often working the position of volunteer coordinator. When her children were in elementary school, she liked being the "room mother" for their classes, because it gave her the opportunity to help wherever she could.
Cindy also loved to find ways to be creative (even though she was too humble to think that what she made was as good as what other people created). She tried her hand at various crafts and projects, and liked baking almost as much as she liked eating sweets! She also liked to joke that she was the "coupon queen," never wanting to pay full price for something when she could avoid it.
Cindy will always be remembered for her selfless love for others, her giving nature, her laugh, her humor, and her smile. The world is better for the blessing of having her in it, and though we will always miss her, we will feel her love every time the sun warms us, when we see a seashell along the shore, or when a flower blooms.
We love you forever.
Cindy's Celebration of Life will take place on Friday, November 7, 2025, at St. Clement Catholic Church, 1104 N. Alexander Street, Plant City, FL 33563. Arrival at the church begins at 10:00 AM, a rosary will be said starting at 10:30 AM, and mass will begin at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow the Mass at Resurrection Cemetery, 10668 E. Sligh Avenue, Seffner, FL 33584. Arrangements are via Haught Funeral Home.
Flowers are welcome, or the family invites you to make a donation to the Foundation for Women's Cancer on Cindy's tribute page: https://support.foundationforwomenscancer.org/cindycard
The family especially wishes to acknowledge and express their gratitude for the exemplary care provided to Cindy by the office of Dr. Richard Cardosi & nurse practitioner Melissa Good of Watson Clinic; the oncology nursing team of Lakeland Regional Health; and the nursing team of Gulfside Hospice. We are also grateful to Haught Funeral Home and the bereavement team of St. Clement Catholic Church.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel appears on Cindy's prayer cards. She was important to Cindy, because she was important to her father, John.