Cynthia Lupo

Cynthia Jean Lupo, 71, of Zachary, passed on to a better life on March 11, 2025, in Baton Rouge after nearly 18 years of dealing with a life of experiences that no one would wish on their worst enemy. Her best childhood friend, Connie, and one of her best retirement age friends, Barbara, were by her side.
Cindy was born in Rogers Clinic in Winnsboro on September 25, 1953, the third child of Alvin and Velma Lea Miller Lupo. Welcoming her home were her sister Martha and brother, Tommy.
From an early age, she was devoted to being a kind, gentle, and caring person for those who came into her life.
She attended school in Winnsboro and was a proud member of Larry Stanley's Wildcat Marching Band, playing flute in the concert band, at the football games, while marching in the parades and playing aloud for as long as each cowboy could hang on at the Deep South Rodeo. No pumped in music back in the days.
Cindy grew up cooking home cooked meals with her mother. Before she graduated from Winnsboro High School in 1971, she learned under the tutelage of Mrs. Marge Wilson's Home Economic classes, the fine art of cake decorating that led to her side hobby of baking and decorating birthday and wedding cakes for many in the Winnsboro area. Later through time spent with her south Louisiana in-laws, she developed her skills of producing the most delicious Cajun and wildlife dishes. That is until she became allergic to shellfish.
After graduating from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) in 1978 with a B.S. in Home Economics, she began her 18 1/2-year career working for the State of Louisiana as a civil servant; First at the welfare office in St. Joseph, then transferring to Winnsboro, before moving on to the Pineville office. She then moved to Baton Rouge where she began working for the Food Stamp Fraud division as an investigator.
During times of natural disasters in the state, she became part of a team whereas she and her fellow co-workers, many of whom she became lifelong friends, assisted in getting assistance to those that had been displaced by the south Louisiana storms.
Cindy adored our parents and when it was their time of need, she was there for them. While in high school, she once stayed with our mother for 27 days straight while she was in St. Francis Hospital. When the time came for our parents to pass on to their heavenly home, she was by their side. Later on, she was so thankful that they didn't have to watch her go through the pain and suffering she was to endure.
Then came April 28, 2007. While moving from Baker to Zachary, she tripped and fell forward, shattering both elbows and breaking both arms. Her left arm was put back together by piecing bone fragments back into the area where her elbow and arm use to be. Her right arm would require the best arm doctor in Baton Rouge.
She and her right arm would become good friends with Dr. Rick Ahmad. Through the next nearly 18 years, he would perform numerous surgeries on her, replacing her right arm with a metal elbow and arm structure four times. Along the way, he would also fix her other numerous orthopedical mishaps. Cindy took great pride in knowing that through her misfortunes, she allowed Dr. Ahmad to gain a wealth of knowledge in orthopedic surgery of the arm, and he even thanked her for those opportunities that he had to learn techniques he might not have otherwise been challenged by.
Till the very end, Cindy's mind was as sharp as a tack. She knew every detail of everything she had read or heard or about everyone she had met, family or friends. Once while in the hospital, a nurse came into the room as she was watching one of her soap operas – she recorded them so as not to miss any details – the nurse asked what was going on on the show. Cindy proceeded to tell the circumstances leading up to what was going on with each character which she knew by name. The nurse wasn't expecting that.
Cindy would have made the best patient advocate. No matter where she received care, there was going to be an event that needed to be remembered for story time later. After she first fell, she had received care at one hospital, then was sent to an older hospital for more recovery time, then to a nursing home for more of the same. Here she is with two inoperable arms, and the nursing home sends the tallest van made with no wheelchair accommodation to pick her up. She somehow got in at the hospital and then out at the nursing home by running the van up against the curve of the sidewalk to shorten the distance to solid ground.
After she had gone over everything with the head nurse and had been checked into a room, the nurse mentions that lunch would be served soon in the lunchroom and that if she needed assistance walking down the hall, across the room was a walker that she could use.
It gets more interesting. No one was in the lunchroom when she made it to the room, so she sat down at an empty table. Before long, people began to come in and before she knew it, everyone was staring at her. Then the moment everyone in the room had been waiting for, "You're in my seat". She apologizes and moves to another seat and the same thing happens. After that she tells the staff, she will eat in her room.
One night the fire alarm goes off. She shared a room with a nice little old lady that also needed help to get out of bed. Cindy couldn't do anything to help with both of her arms in slings. All she can do is assure the lady that if something really was going on, surely someone would remember them in their beds.
She would push herself during therapy to learn how to use her arms and hands again so to return to living as close to a normal life as possible. She loved her solitude in her condo, but looked forward to her outings with her friend, Lyn and her lunch dates with the ladies from the condo.
But something always needed to be fixed. The list of medical procedures just went on and on, until her body had to go on dialysis. Sitting for hours at a time, three times a week, with others around her all doing their own thing to entertain themselves, was absolute torture for her, but she persevered.
Then one mishap seemed to lead to another procedure, then another. In the end, her body and soul couldn't take any more pain and suffering. As she would say, "I have no more tears left to cry". So, on March 11, 2025, Cindy eased into another world of being pain free in her new body.
She is preceded in death by her parents; brother, Marvin Wayne Lupo and nephew, Freeman Avan "Van" Wilson III.
Left to cherish her memory are her sister, Martha McPheeters of Jacksonville, FL., and brothers Tommy (Ruby) Lupo of Chelsea, AL and Richard (Mary) Lupo of Monroe. Nieces, Mica McPheeters, Celeste Lupo (Ryan) Stehr, Christi Lupo (Greg) Brown; Nephews, David McPheeters and Shawn Davidson. Great nieces,Gracen Stehr and Morgan Brown; Great Nephews, Caleb Lupo and Cooper Brown.
Near and dear to her heart, her in-law's nieces Danielle Easterling and Anna Bowen and nephews Jed Wilson and John Wilson.
Lifelong friend Connie and her husband "Smitty" Smith and their children and grandchildren were family to Cindy. She cherished her time spent watching Leslie and Brian growing up. Then, the grandchildren came along, and she loved them like a grandmother would. Jack, Rocco, Trenton, Walker and Gavin, "Nannie" will miss seeing all of you grow up.
A memorial service officiated by the Rev. Wayne Ray,will be held at Crowville Methodist Church,130 Cypress Road, Crowville, LA on May 17 at Noon. Visitation will be from 11:00 am until the time of service at the church. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Kathy Killian. A private burial will follow at Myrtle Memorial Cemetery in Winnsboro.
Memorials may be made to the Crowville Methodist Church Scholarship Fund.
Online condolences may be made at www.dennardfirstnational.com
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