Cynthia ‘Cyndy’ Tice, 75

Cynthia S. “Cyndy” Tice, a long-time nursing teacher at the Northern Marianas College and lay leader of Saipan’s Immanuel United Methodist Church, passed away on Sunday, June 8, 2014, at her home in New Mexico. She was 75 years old.

Cynthia S. “Cyndy” Tice

According to a statement issued by her sister, Cyndy was born in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 3, 1939, to Opal Weimer and William C. Fostvedt. When Cyndy was 7, her mother remarried to Fred A. Tice, and they moved to the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, IL. Fred Tice adopted Cyndy and was a wonderful father to her. He introduced her to Methodism and she was an active member of several Methodist churches over the years.

Shortly after the move, Cyndy joined the Girl Scouts and earned her First Class Award. She remained active in the Girl Scouts wherever she worked and was a life member.

After graduation from the College of Wooster in 1958, she attended Northwestern University School of Nursing, earning her RN degree. The U.S. Peace Corps appealed to her and she served in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) for two years, 1963-65. Then, after earning her MSN at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, she taught nursing at Arizona State University.

She finally realized her long time desire to serve overseas in 1973 when she began six-year stint working for CARE in Afghanistan. She taught nursing and served as director of nursing at Jamiat Hospital in Kabul. In following years she worked at various times for the World Health Organization, the International Medical Corps, and Project Hope, in addition to CARE. Her work took her not only to Afghanistan but also to Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Pakistan, Sudan, Uganda, and Kazakhstan.

The last 12 years of her overseas life was on the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, where she taught nursing at NMC.

Among her honors over the years was the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Wooster. With her retirement in 2009 she moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, joining her sister and brother-in-law, Jo and John Bloom, who survive her. She is also survived by niece Virginia Aguirre, her husband James and their children, and nephew William Tice, his wife Krisara and their children. Her parents, Fred and Opal Tice, predeceased her along with her brother, Blair C. Tice.

A memorial service will be held at Morningstar United Methodist Church, 2941 Morning Star Drive, Las Cruces, on June 15, 2014, at 2pm. Rather than flowers, please make contributions to the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, 9700 Girl Scout Way, El Paso, TX 79924, or the Friends of New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road, Las Cruces, NM, 88011. (PR)