Cynthia Long Forgey was born on November 4, 1950 in Marion, Indiana, the sixth of nine children, to John William and Eleanor Ann Long. She always treasured the fact that her dad named her, deciding that Cynthia was a strong enough first name that she didn't need a middle name: she spent her entire life effortlessly proving this to be true. She grew up in Marion and, beginning at a very young age, spent most of her summers at Lake Wawasee, continuing this tradition all the way through this summer. Wawasee was Cynthia's "favorite place in the whole world."
After a first date that was sealed with a legendary pat on the back, Cynthia and Joe Forgey fell completely in love, and on July 23, 1988 took a humongous leap of faith by marrying and joining five children, ages 13-4, together under the same roof. It didn't take long at all for the crew to happily identify themselves as the Forgey Jarrett Family, with Joe and Cynth at the helm. Life evolved into a steady, albeit crazy, rhythm of driving thousands of miles to take the kids to their respective practices, making a zillion perfectly-packed school lunches, faithfully squeezing frenetic family dinners in between after school events and homework, road-tripping in the mini-van to soccer tournaments with the five kids in back and Joe & Cynth holding hands in the front, and taking National Geographic-inspired family vacations.
To Cynthia, nothing mattered more than family. Her family was everything to her. But, more than that, she was everything to her family. Every morning she prepared breakfast for her husband and kids, and always greeted each one with "Hi, honey" when they returned home from work and school. She was a consistently fair and impartial Judge who managed to keep everyone in line and maintain the peace between growing children, using her pointer finger as her gavel. She knew the secret to putting the fitted sheet on the bed with ease and was the in-house relationship counselor, teaching the boys to be kind, thoughtful and respectful, and the girls to "keep your pride" and "never be too available." Filled with common sense to her core, she always knew what to do in every situation and was unwavering in her principles and sense of right and wrong. Cynthia loved to dance.
Always an advocate for children, Cynthia served on the Noblesville School Board for eight years. Not only was she the incredibly successful CEO of the family, she was also the CFO to her husband's dental practice, Pediatric Dentistry of Noblesville.
On May 1, 2009, Cynthia was diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer after exhibiting frighteningly few symptoms. She and her family spent the following two plus years squeezing the nectar out of every moment and enjoying every day that they had together. They spent numerous weekends at Wawasee, took two separate vacations to North Carolina and Key West, and celebrated the birth of their third grandchild and the marriage of their youngest son. She and Joe "had a ball" following the Butler Bulldogs on their road to the Final Four in 2010, traveling to San Jose, Salt Lake City and, of course, watching them in the final game here in Indianapolis. In the spirit of the Bulldogs, small but mighty Cynthia remained a courageous warrior throughout her battle, surprising all doctors and nurses with her tenacity, strength, resilience, will to live, and consistent gratitude for the many blessings in her life.
Throughout her battle with cancer, she remained full of hope, faith, and her ever-positive attitude, inspiring her family and friends with her grace and goodness. She never pitied herself and was moved to tears far more by the kindness and generosity she received from her family, friends and community than by the struggles she encountered. She and her family remain forever grateful to all of the nurses and doctors at St. Vincent's Hospital who provided her with the most loving care. Their gratitude also extends to their friends, family and extended community who have lifted them up with their kindness, love, support, prayers and generosity.
Cynthia passed away at 1:45 PM on Thursday, September 2, 2011. She was at home and was surrounded by her family.
Cynthia's legacy will live on through her enormous family that will continue to love her like crazy, will miss her every day, and will enjoy telling stories about her for many, many years to come, because as they all well know, there is no one in the world quite like Cynthia. She is survived by her loving husband, Joe Forgey of Noblesville, her five children: Jennifer Jarrett & Dave Van Horne of San Francisco, Jill & Pat Moor of Zionsville, Jay Jarrett of Chicago, Jordan & Aaron Huffman of Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, and Casey & Holly Jarrett of Indianapolis. She is also survived by her three grandchildren, her 97-year-old mother, Eleanor Organ, five sisters and three brothers, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
Services will be held at 7:00 PM Wednesday, September 7, 2011, at First Christian Church, 16377 Herriman Blvd, Noblesville, with Rev. John Davis officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday from 3:00-8:00 PM at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Cynthia's memory to: Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville, 1448 Conner Street, Noblesville, IN 46060, on online at: http://www.bgcni.org