1936-2024
Early in the morning on August 27, Cindy Stillman, a beloved friend to many in the Finger Lakes area, passed from this earth. She was a vital member of the Wisdom's Goldenrod community in Valois, known for her hospitality, cheerful spirit, and caring for every person and animal she met. Her decades-long meditation practice and study of perennial philosophy permeated everything she did.
Cindy was born on February 10, 1936, in Illinois, and soon afterward her family moved to Akron, Ohio. After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she visited San Francisco and fell in love with the place. She stayed until she needed to return to Akron to care for her ailing mother, and she then took a job in Atlanta.
In the 1970s she moved to Valois, New York, to study with her teacher Anthony Damiani, and the Wisdom's Goldenrod community. She worked in student services at Cornell University for many years and served as hospitality coordinator for Wisdom's Goldenrod after retirement.
Cindy's adventuresome spirit led her to take pilgrimages to holy sites in Turkey and India. Closer to home, she explored the philosophy of Paul Brunton, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sri Shankaracharya, and other great beings whose teachings kept her inner flame alight.
In her later years, Cindy was cared for graciously by the staff at Longview in Ithaca, Bethany Village in Horseheads, and Seneca View in Montour Falls. All of us who loved her are profoundly grateful for the love and dedication of people at these facilities.
Cindy is predeceased by her father and mother, Charles Stillman and Ruth Davis Stillman; her sister Robbie Stillman; her friend and mentor Joan Dawson Carlson; her cherished dog companion Skye; her cats Kingsley, Toby, and Gemini; and many other dear animal friends.
Many of her friends from Wisdom's Goldenrod have also departed, and we know that Cindy would want us to remember Paul Brunton's words, “We will all meet again.”
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