Cynthia E. Lewis

Cynthia (Cindy) Lewis, 65, of West Plains, passed away peacefully at her home on November 3, 2024, with her husband Jimmy, and their children at her side. Cindy was born in Houston, Texas, on April 15, 1959, to Harold and Barbara Payne. She grew up in Texas with her parents, 3 sisters and a brother. It was by chance that Jimmy left the Ozarks, traveled to Texas for work and ended up as Cindy’s neighbor. The two of them fell in love and soon their love blossomed. They began their journey in life together, they moved to different locations in Texas for work and started a family. Cindy and Jimmy had four beautiful children while they were living in Texas before moving to their new home in Missouri. Cindy was a wonderful, caring, and loving mother, wife, grandmother, sister, daughter, aunt and friend. She was loved by so many. Her contagious, upbeat, and sweet personality was hard not to love. If you ever got the chance to meet Cindy, you knew she had a heart as big as Texas. She never met a stranger and would talk to anyone. No one ever got away from Cindy without a great big hug and an “I love you.” She loved listening to music and dancing. She would frequently turn on some music in the living room and dance with her children and grandchildren. Cindy enjoyed spending time in the sun and going to the rivers with her family and friends. Her favorite place to visit was the ocean, especially in Galveston, Texas. Cindy was blessed with a green thumb and had a knack for taking clippings off any plant and making them grow. She had many house plants, some so big they almost didn’t fit in the house. Jimmy loved those, especially when he would have to carry them in and out of the house depending on the season! Cindy enjoyed sharing these plants with her family and friends. She was a great cook and loved teaching her children how to cook as well. She loved to spend time with her grandkids, and they thought the world of her. Her children and grandkids also received her special forehead kiss when it was time to leave, she always said it was in case they needed one for later and she wasn’t around to give them one. One memory of Cindy many will remember is her love for playing the game “Idiot”. Her dad made the board when she was a young adult. She then shared her love for the game with Jimmy when they met. She and Jimmy spent many, many hours throughout her life together playing that game with their friends, their children and even their grandkids. Cindy loved her pets throughout the years and would even give them middle names. One thing you might not know about Cindy is she loved playing practical jokes on her family, especially if she got to scare you. She would get so excited at times she would give herself away giggling as she hid. Her smile, laughter and love enveloped everyone she loved in life. Being a mother to their four children was an immense source of pride for her. She was very proud of all her family and loved them all so much. In September of 2005 Cindy and Jimmy formalized their union on their 25th anniversary and were married at Bethel Baptist Church in West Plains, Mo. They had a wonderful 44 years together and created many memories. Cindy loved her family and friends and filled her home with warmth and kindness. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold & Barbara Payne, and her sister Debbie Payne. Cindy is survived by her loving husband Jimmy & their four kids: Shana Sechrest (Matt), James Lewis Jr (Marissa), Ashley Dilbeck (Brandon), and Montana Lewis. Also, she is survived by 14 grandchildren, her sisters, Cheryl Miller (Jack) & Karen Tais (Greg) , a brother, Harold Payne, and several nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and numerous friends scattered across the country. A Celebration of Life will be held on November 23 at 1 p.m. at the South Fork Church. Friends are encouraged to share pictures and memories of Cynthia on her page at www.alwaysfaithfulmemorialservices.com

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Cynthia E. Lewis

April 15, 1959 - November 3, 2024