Obituary of Cynthia M. McDermott

Voorheesville - Cynthia M. McDermott passed away on Friday, February 6, 2015 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  The grace, humor and acceptance which she exhibited throughout her illness will not long be forgotten by her many friends and family. Cynthia was born in Whitehall, New York. An accomplished pianist, she studied music performance at The New England Conservatory of Music and later graduated from Boston University with a degree in music education.  It was at Boston University where she met her husband of 48 years, Frank McDermott, who pre-deceased her in 2006.  Frank and Cynthia moved to Voorheesville, New York in 1962 and Cynthia began teaching elementary music at Voorheesville Elementary School in 1968, a position from which she retired in 1992.  She also taught private piano lessons for many years, but her favorite student was her grandson Joey McDermott who, following in his grandmother's footsteps,  is now attending the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam. After her retirement, Cynthia, or Cindy as a lot of her friends called her, channeled her creative energies into painting.  She attended many national painting conventions and enjoyed attending all of the classes and spending time with her "painting friends".  One of the joys of her life was opening her house to the "Thursday morning painting girls" each week for coffee, breakfast, painting and catching up on the events of the week.  Her undying generosity with her home and her time is one of the qualities that her friends and family will treasure most in their memories. The roles that Cynthia most valued in her life were that of wife, mother and grandmother.  Her love and devotion to her family cannot be expressed in words. Her gentle smile and understanding voice will forever be etched in their minds and hearts. Cynthia is survived by her son, Thomas J. McDermott (Elinor) and her grandsons Michael and Joseph McDermott and her daughter, Sandra M. McDermott and her granddaughters, Samantha, Abigail and Jacqueline Smith. Her funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2015 at St. Matthew’s Church, Mountainview St., Voorheesville. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Glenmont. Calling hours will be prior to the mass, from 9 - 11 o’clock Saturday morning at St. Matthew’s Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Albany County Community Hospice who provided wonderful care to Cynthia during her illness.  The family would also like to express their gratitude to the many friends who provided laughter, solace and support to Cynthia and her family in her final days.  A special note of thanks to Cynthia's dear friend Marion Onufrak who provided unwavering comfort and guidance to Cynthia, Tom and Sandy during this most difficult time.