Cynthia Faye Hanna

Cynthia Faye (Gaunt) Hanna passed away peacefully on March 28, 2020, at the age of 82.  Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Cynthia moved to Albuquerque in her youth. She liked to say, “When I moved to our house near UNM we were the last house to the mountains… Can you believe that?”
 
She is preceded in death by her sisters, Sharon and Marsha.  She is survived by her son, Dale and his wife, Anni; four grandchildren: Alexander, Adrian, Athena and Arianna; her sister Debbie Carroll and husband Mark; and her brother Dave and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
 
After graduating from Highland High School, Cynthia served as a librarian at UNM Law School, a program coordinator for nurses’ trips, a tour guide for a doctors’ educational program and a realtor.  She was an entrepreneur, excellent cook, gardener and decorator. Planting and pruning was one of Cynthia's specialties. She was always on the lookout for rose bushes and flowers at friend's houses to look after. And let’s not forget, Cynthia loved clothes and had an eclectic outfit for every occasion.
 
Cynthia traveled the world and enjoyed telling stories of her adventures.  She lived in Saipan and traveled extensively to Egypt, China, Russia, Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, France and Switzerland.  She adopted her son, Dale, from China and dedicated a big part of her life to help him get used to living in America. She helped Dale start an import business selling hand crafted apparel and blankets from South America. She delighted in connecting with people across cultures.
 
Later in life, her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren--telling them stories, playing card games, and coloring pictures with them.  She would say, “I never imagined having grandkids and now look how lucky I am.” She poured her love and attention into the children, thinking up new games to play and always willing to help fold the laundry and wash the dishes. Alex and Athena both entered the ‘Senior I Know Essay’ contest in Albuquerque with fond stories of Nana. What we remember her for the most was her willingness and ability to touch people’s lives.  She was loved by all, family and friends, many of them from her childhood.
 
A Celebration of Life is planned for the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider making  a contribution to the Road Runner Food Bank <https://www.rrfb.org/>
 
 
Senior I know Essay about Cynthia Hanna, by grandson Alex Hanna, winner of 2017: 

An Adoption Story
By Alex Hanna 

“Nana, “Can you tell me a true story?”

My Nana is awesome at telling stories. She tells fascinating stories about her life. Like when she went to visit a family in their grand castle in France. She couldn’t believe that they reused their dirty cloth napkins for a week. Stories like this always make me laugh. 

My Nana is so special. Did you know that she’s an international person? She taught English in the Mariana Islands. She worked with doctors from China and Russia. She even hosted them at her house, because she likes to help all kinds of people. Do you want to hear a story about how she helped someone?

One day she went to United World College in Las Vegas New Mexico with a visiting Chinese doctor. She met a Chinese student who spoke only a tad of English. He had no home to go to on vacation. She invited him to her house the day before Christmas. This was the start of a long friendship.

Later the Chinese student got a scholarship to go to Cornell University to study electrical engineering. But the Chinese government told him to leave the U.S immediately because his passport was expiring and he must return to China. But he wanted to stay and study.

He asked Nana for help. 
“Will you adopt me so I can go to Cornell?” 
“Of course!”. Nana is a good Nana so she found a lawyer who agreed to help. Nana, adopted him when he was 20. He felt very grateful towards Nana.   

When I grow up I want to be just like Nana. I want to help other people and travel the world. Then I’ll tell stories like this too. Oh, did you know that this Chinese student is my dearest Dad? 

Senior I know Essay about Cynthia Hanna by granddaughter Athena Hanna 

Scary Stories
By Athena Hanna 

Creak. The door shuts.We jump. My Nana begins a scary story. “Once upon a time, there was a girl named Star whose parents went out shopping. After a while, She saw a flash of lightning and heard a loud  BOOM of thunder then it started to pour. Now all the lights went out she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Star screamed…”  
 
We are in a tiny closet under our stairs just big enough to fit one Nana and four small children.The lights are out. Now Nana sounds just like Star the little girl and then, in a low voice, she sounds like the dad. Something bad always happens to the family in her stories. They might look through a keyhole and see something they shouldn’t see. One time they found an eyeball hidden in a dresser! “Ahhhh”

Nana taught English in the Mariana Islands, because she liked to help people. When she retired, she opened a little shop in Old Town where she designed gifts from the letters in peoples’ names.  Many years ago, Nana adopted my Chinese dad so he could go to college in the United States, but that is a long story for another day. 

Nana used to say, “Even though I had no little children of my own, I am thrilled to have four wonderful grandchildren!” Nana is always helpful. When I was younger, she came to our house every single day to fold laundry, push our strollers, and play games with us. 

Sadly, Nana cannot get downstairs to the closet anymore and it’s hard for her to remember the scary stories. “Once upon a time…” But I can always hear Nana’s voice in my ear and see the stories in my mind.