Cynthia Ann EastmanOakland native and Cal Alumnus Cynthia Ann Eastman died peacefully on August 24 in her Oakland home. She was not quite 62 years old.
The youngest of four children and the only daughter of George and Dorothy Eastman, Cynthia spent her first years on Manila Avenue in Oakland before the family moved to Castro Valley. There she attended public schools including Castro Valley High where she found a great group of life-long friends.
After attending UC Santa Cruz, Cynthia transferred to UC Berkeley and graduated with a degree in history. She worked at the Sierra Club before returning to Cal to earn her Masters Degree in Library Science. She spent the rest of her working life as a corporate librarian in San Francisco, first at Keyser Marston Associates and then at Kennedy/Jenks Consultants. At both companies she earned the respect and appreciation of her colleagues as well as making many great friends including the "Women Who Lunch" group.
Cynthia travelled to many places including China, Australia, Europe, and Thailand. Travel often included activity and adventure such as kayaking along the coast of Alaska, horseback riding, or skiing at resorts all over the West. Her most recent adventure was a wildlife safari to Kenya. At home, she could be counted on to prepare a fantastic Christmas brunch for her family including her niece Amy and nephews Kevin, Ben, and David.
She stayed amazingly fit with a regimen that included swimming, yoga, cycling, and rock climbing. Cynthia was a fixture at Great Western Power Co. on Thursdays and Berkeley Ironworks on Sunday mornings. Sometimes joined by all three of brothers, Michael, Christopher, and Kevin, she continued to climb until just a few weeks before her death with her most reliable belay partner, Christopher.
Cynthia also kept a busy volunteer schedule. It included preparing meals for the elephants at the Oakland Zoo, working at Children's Hospital's Bambino Thrift Shop, and serving as a Cal Performances usher. She also gave financial support to many causes including the Oakland Zoo, the Lake Merritt Institute, and the Democratic Party.
Cynthia was a season ticket holder for Cal Football and Cal Women's Basketball. Her two most commonly spoken words were "Go Bears!" At her recent early birthday party, Oski was an unexpected but welcome guest.
At that party, attended by many friends and relatives, it was apparent to all that Cynthia had a positive impact throughout her life. She forged great friendships at school, at work, with her cancer support groups, and through her volunteer service. She wanted to thank them all for their kindness and support. Family, friends, and colleagues have used words such as brave, brilliant, strong, gentle, great, funny, kind, and amazing to describe her. We miss her.