Farewell, Cynthia

Sorry, not a great scan.  This is when Greenwich took over Naples in 2007.  That's Cynthia Hahn  in the center.

If you've been around these parts long enough, you know that Greenwich went to Naples, Florida to take on the Golden Eagles in football in 2007.  It seemed like the whole town made the trip to the Gulf coast, and if they didn't, then they stayed home and listened to it.

Most of the Greenwich sports media was there.  Paul Silverfarb.  Jesse Quinlan. Plus the tried and trusty trio of Jason Intrieri, Nick Angotto, and me.  WGCH represented!

The picture above was taken the day of the game.  Jason and I had come out to the beach just to stick our feet in the water and walk on the pier when we saw some familiar faces.  Cynthia Hahn, the energetic, life-of-the-party mother of three athletes that I covered (Branden, Torre, and Eric), said hello and asked me to join her and some other Greenwich friends in a picture.  The looks of pure happiness on all of our faces is clear.  The Chelwicks, how I love them, are on the left.  Cynthia, maybe because of her smile, her placement in the front and center of the crowd, or maybe just because I knew her, seems to jump off the page.

It is with great sadness that I tell you that Cynthia passed away this week, far far far too young.  I had no clue she was sick.

Cynthia and I were Facebook friends, and that's the beauty of social media for you.  It's great to discover or rediscover friends, or get to know someone better.  We'd debate sports, talk about kids, and remember the fun times of covering games.  Of course, conversely, if someone stops being so active online, you either don't notice it, or you do.

And when people start posting prayers and concerns, it hits like a truck.

And a day later, when they start writing "RIP, " well, you're pretty sure.

Like any reporter, I checked my sources, hoping the news was wrong.  Sadly, no.

Cynthia was one in a million.  She was one of the first parents who really got to know us.  I remember she once asked me to be the public address announcer for a charity basketball game at Greenwich High School.  How could I say no?  You didn't easily say no to Cynthia.

Cynthia made sure I met each of her kids, and told me to be ready to talk about all of them on the radio.

She was right.

She was super supportive of WGCH, and wasn't afraid to chide me if something needed to discussed.  But she had our backs.

She loved her kids.  Her family.  Her friends.  The tributes to her online are pouring.  She ran a wonderful little boutique (Cynthia's in Byram) that she promoted with the same vigor that she put into everything in her life.

One in a million.

My deepest condolences go to her family.  I'm glad I knew her.

I'm glad I found that picture above.  I thought of it a lot this week.