Cynthia Ann Eagar

Cynthia Ann Eagar

ORLEANS – Cynthia Ann Eagar, age 83, died in her Orleans home Sunday (Aug.4) as she wanted, surrounded by love, flowers and music. She died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

For decades, Cindy was a special needs teacher and a leader in the Cape effort to include young adults with special needs in school classrooms and to prepare them for jobs in the real world.

Part of their lessons were what to order at Chinese restaurants, proper etiquette in public bathrooms and on the dance floor, how to work together to fulfill contracts to box stoneware for shipping and stuff bags for distribution by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, and running the school store.

Cindy had a marvelous talent for organizing a classroom, the end of the school year party for her co-workers, yard sales and a life. She made it look easy, Her grandchildren loved the pancakes she made in whatever shape they wanted - a dinosaur, a cat and fish. Her “magic wallet” in her beach bag always had enough money for treats at the beach.

Born in Wayland in 1941, Cindy was adopted as an infant by her parents, Ann and Thomas Hoare of Winchester. They and her brother Thomas (Toby Hoare) predeceased her.

She attended schools in Winchester and graduated from Marycliff Academy, a Catholic high school no longer in existence, and from Boston College with a BS in education. She later earned a M.S. in special education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in school administration from Bridgewater State College.

Eagar was a teacher from 1962 to 1996, a career that started in a four-room schoolhouse in Wilmington, MA and ended with her retirement from Barnstable High School. She moved from Wilmington to Yarmouth in 1972 and then Centerville with her then-husband, Thomas Eagar. She moved to Orleans in 1988 with her wife Susan Milton.

After Cindy retired from teaching, she amazingly became a licensed nail technician and later an aesthetician at Exteriors, an Orleans spa owned by the late Carol Harris. For 20 years, Eagar developed a loyal clientele for her manicures, pedicures, facials, and waxing mixed with wonderful conversations and friendship.

Cindy enjoyed making money and friends in her spare time. She worked checking coats at East Bay Lodge and bartended and served at its catered events, as well as driving people for a limousine service.

She and her wife ran a bed and breakfast for 14 years, first in Centerville and then in Orleans and later rented their house for several summers. Cindy was skilled in real estate, tracking the rise and fall of values and prices and enjoyed buying, renting and selling properties in Provincetown, Hyannis and Orleans. She enjoyed winters for 16 years at their condo in Lake Worth, FL.

In Orleans, she was on the board of assessors in Orleans for eight years, and, for several years, an election worker at the Orleans polls and a volunteer driver for FISH. She was a leader in the then-Association of Retarded Citizens, which led to collecting cup-plates and working at bingo games to raise money for the special needs pool at the YMCA.

Highlights of Cindy’s days on the Cape were to sit at a beach - Dowse’s and Skaket - or at her pool, read the latest best-sellers and meet and network with her many good friends over coffee, wine and dinner.

Before Alzheimer’s, she was a wonderful maker of soups and salad dressings from scratch and could make a batch of beach plum jelly and stuffed artichokes at the drop of a hat.

Cindy is survived by Susan Milton, her beloved spouse and partner of 40 years. She was so proud of her three daughters, Kathleen Pouser of Marathon, FL., Cyndi Bancroft of Marstons Mills, (late husband Jim), and Kerry Eagar of Cotuit (partner Michael Downing.)

Also surviving are seven grandchildren: Parker Pouser of San Diego, CA (fiance Valerie Smith), Rob Bancroft of Dubai (wife Samantha Bancroft) Matt Bancroft of Roslindale (wife Jenna); Nicholas Bancroft, Ben and Luke Bancroft, all of Boston, and Cynthia Eagar of Panama City, FL.

Cindy is also survived by two great-granddaughters, cousins, nieces and nephews..

At her daughters’ request to know more about their heritage and potential health issues, Cindy succeeded in finding her natural father and mother before they died, and her sister Virginia Frado of North Falmouth, who died in 2019. Cindy, father Phillip Dirico and Ginny and her family were so excited to meet and spend time together as long as they could.

Cindy lived with Alzheimer’s for 13 years, gracefully, bravely, still enjoying the moments with family and many friends that still added up to a good life.

“I am so lucky,” she often said.

A celebration of her life will be held 2 p.m. to 4 pm Sunday Aug. 18 at the former Captain Linnell House, 137 Skaket Beach Road in Orleans.

Memorial donations may be made in her name to Cape Abilities, Independence Park, 895 Mary Dunn Road, Hyannis MA 02601, and the Orleans Conservation Trust, 203 South Orleans Road, Orleans, MA 02653

Our thanks go to daughter Kathleen who devoted her life to help care for her mother the past four years, as well as the Alzheimers Family Support Center in Brewster, the Respite program at the Orleans Council on Aging, and Broad Reach Hospice.