Cynthia Ricciardi "Cindy" Latham

LATHAM, Cynthia "Cindy" Ricciardi, of Colonial Heights, Va., died peacefully on Friday, August 28, 2020. A gifted and caring teacher at Bellwood Elementary School, Cindy dedicated her career to teaching Special Education and English as a Second Language. During her 40 years in the classroom, she touched the lives of thousands of students. She cared deeply about social justice and lived her life in the service of others. Cindy was born in Coral Gables, Fla., and spent her childhood in Daytona Beach and later, Pensacola. She attended Loyola University of New Orleans on a scholarship and later earned a graduate degree in Education from the University of New Orleans. In addition to her professional career, Cindy enjoyed 31 wonderful years of marriage to her husband, Bill Latham. They raised two lovely children, Andrew and Olivia, while serving the Army around the world, from the Alpine foothills to the Arctic Circle to the Mojave Desert. A tireless and empathetic volunteer, Cindy also devoted her time and energy to countless charities, including food banks, thrift stores, Cub Scouts, Brownies, theater groups and Meals on Wheels. Besides her husband and children, Cindy is survived by her mother, Holly Boote; father, Albert Ricciardi; brother, Geoffrey; and sister, Alisa. A Memorial Mass will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 4, 2020, at St. Ann Catholic Church, 17111 Jefferson Davis Highway, S. Chesterfield, Virginia 23834. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, seating at the church will be limited to family and close friends. The family will receive friends from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, September 3, 2020, at the Colonial Heights Chapel of the E. Alvin Small Funeral Home, 2033 Boulevard, Colonial Heights, Virginia 23834. Due to health concerns, the family asks that visitors wear face masks and maintain social distancing at both events. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that well-wishers consider honoring Cindy's memory with a donation to the Sacred Heart Center, which provides literacy classes and social services to the Latino community in Richmond, Virginia. For more information, please visit https://shcrichmond.org/en/donate/. Condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com.