Obituary: Cynthia Earl Humphrey, 93, of Madison

Obituary courtesy of the family:

Cynthia Earl Humphrey, affectionately known by all as “Hummy”, passed away peacefully on August 24, 2021. Surrounded by family and friends, she died in her own little home in Madison Connecticut, after a brief illness due to the complications of peritoneal carcinomatosis.

The eldest of three daughters, her parents were Robert Earl, originally from Herkimer NY, and Polly Harts Kellogg of Madison CT and Utica NY. Born September 16, 1927, Cynthia grew up in upstate New York during the winters, but summered in Madison CT. Her grandparents were General William Wright Harts and Martha Hale Harts. She was very proud of her Madison lineage going back many generations.

Her summers in Madison were filled with fun and friends hanging out at the Madison Beach Club until she met and married David G. Humphrey, a Lieutenant JG in the US Navy. After that, they lived in an Airstream trailer moving between Naval bases in Kansas, Pensacola FL, and Maine—even after Nikki was born. One of her favorite stories was about traveling from Madison to Kansas via train with her mother, infant Nikki, a dachshund, and a bird in a cage.

After Martha was born, Cynthia and David built a house in Monroe, CT and lived there until moving to Guilford CT with the arrival of Dave, and then Ben. By this time Cynthia was a single mother devoted to her four children. Encouraged by her mother, Cynthia moved to Clinton NY in 1967. The house was located on College Street, down the hill from Hamilton College. Not only was it walking distance to town, but it was right across the street from the public-school campus—grades 1 through 12. Cynthia’s loving nature welcomed many of her children’s friends, so the house was always filled with teenagers, noise, laughter, and music. To earn extra income, Cynthia took younger children into her informal after-school day care and it was there that she was given the sobriquet “Hummy”—a combination of Mrs. Humphrey and Mommy. After her grandchildren picked up the name, it became the universal form of address.

Having sewn and/or knitted all her children’s clothing, as an “empty nester” Cynthia discovered a love for quilting and needlepoint, making many friends through sewing groups. It was especially hard to leave them behind in Upstate NY when she decided to return to Madison. So, at the start of the new century, the old cottage on Middle Beach Road was demolished and a new house was built on the site.

Cynthia was a popular sight riding her purple bicycle to the Madison Beach Club every day during the summer. She loved swimming in the Long Island Sound and sitting with her friends under an umbrella. She watched over her grandchildren as they swam, sailed, performed in the Follies, grew up and knew her “unconditional love”.

Although she missed her friends from Upstate, she found other quilting/needlepoint groups to join and continued to lead a busy life. She stayed healthy by exercising at Curves until a few years ago. And, of course, walking her precious dachshund, Abby, over a mile every day.

Cynthia made a huge impact on the people around her. “Role model”, “inspiration”, and “remarkable memory” were the adjectives heard the most along Middle Beach Road. She will be missed by many, but most especially by her children Nikki (also Cynthia) Sherman, Martha Lindgren, David Humphrey, and Ben Humphrey. She has six adoring grandchildren, as well as two loving great-grandchildren.

If you have a story to share about Hummy, please join us in remembering her on Saturday, August 28, 2021 from noon to 3 pm on the Upper Deck at the Madison Beach Club. In honor of her memory, think of Hummy and do something nice for somebody…