Cynthia Taft Lathrop

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Cynthia Taft Lathrop, 88, died Dec. 20, at her daughter’s home in Amherst. She was born in Cambridge, Mass., in December of 1920, daughter of Roger B. Taft and Edna Dougherty Taft.

She attended St. Mary’s School (now known as The White Mountain School) in Bethlehem. She took her freshman year abroad at Geneva College for Woman in Geneva, Switzerland in 1939. Her studies in French, English Literature and International Studies kept her busy but she also took her skiing seriously. She brought home three international, collegiate, championship trophies from Zermatt, Chamonix and Bretaye, Switzerland. As political tensions grew in Europe she returned to the U.S. and finished her college years at Skidmore (’42) in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She stayed on at Skidmore to work in the Dean’s office for two more years before she married Francis Lathrop of Fall River, Mass. They celebrated 65 years of great memories on their wedding anniversary in April of this year.

Her athletic endeavors continued over the years. She climbed the 48 mountains in New Hampshire over 4,000 feet, ski raced in the “masters” circuit in the east and west for many years bringing home a number of national championships and more trophies that we can count. Nothing was more precious to her than to be on a mountain top, winter or summer, enjoying the spectacular views and beautiful blue sky days. She also loved her tennis and played well into her 70s with many fond memories on the court.

Cynthia taught fourth grade at Wilkins School in Amherst, NH for 20 years and was active in community affairs as a president of the PTA, member of the school board and a leader of the Girl Scouts. In 1983, retirement took Cynthia and Fran to New Hampton, where they lived in the old Lathrop family homestead, continuing their skiing and community involvement. For the last 11 months they lived at Summerhill Assisted Living Home in Peterborough. Cynthia passed away peacefully in her original home in Amherst, now owned by her daughter.

Her friends and family were dear to her… including 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Francis Owen Lathrop, two sons, Jeffery Taft Lathrop, of North Conway, and Stephen Gorden Lathrop, of South Londonderry; and two daughters, Pamela Lathrop Bassett, of Denver, Colo., and Daphne Lathrop Jackson, of Amherst; a brother, Jackson Taft, of Marion, Ohio, a sister, Eleanor Fernald of Lincoln, Mass., and another brother, Winthrop H. Taft predeceased her.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.