Cynthia Yvonne Mistak Summers

Cynthia Summers had the most effervescent laugh.

Yes, her life can be characterized by any other memory or list of accomplishments, but the quality and tone of her laughter cannot be overstated. Cynthia unexpectedly passed away August 23, 2024, and her laughter will be remembered as the physical manifestation of the joy and happiness by which she lived her life. 

Born December 2, 1948, at Trumbull Memorial Hospital (Warren, Ohio), Cynthia (Cindy) Yvonne Mistak Summers spent her early years raising dairy cattle and helping on the family farm. She was a 1966 Badger High School graduate where she was also a member of the basketball team. In 1971, she received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Findlay College, but it would be years later when she discovered her true academic passion was meteorology. Friends and family alike could count on Cindy to provide the highest-caliber weather reports across many zip codes and geographic regions, both locally and nationally. 

At a Thanksgiving dinner in 1976, close friends Carla and Darryl James hatched a blind matchmaking plan that would lead Cindy to meet the love of her life, William (Bill) Summers. The two hit it off and were married on July 22, 1978, despite a few misgivings in their early courtship including accidentally having their first date at a gay bar and navigating the “what are your intentions” pressures from Cindy’s two brothers. Shortly after their wedding, they moved to the Summers’ family farm where they lived all 46 years of their happy marriage. Carla and Darryl stood as maid of honor and best man at their wedding, and they are the godparents of Cindy and Bill’s two children. 

In her community, Cindy will be remembered as a preschool teacher at the Cortland Playroom, an animal rescuer, and a proud member of the Morning Glories bowling team during her bowling league era. She was a natural caregiver, and she was well-known for her compassion, kindness, and empathy. In recent years, her welcoming demeanor led to her home becoming a social gathering spot for family and friends known as “Camp Goodtimes.” 

Home is where Cindy’s most prominent work took place. She took immense pride in raising her amazing children in a house full of laughter and silliness, and Cindy provided boundless creative ideas and crafty skill for their school projects, toy puppets, and Halloween costumes (most noteworthy among them was the Scooby Doo costume of 2001). 

Cindy will be fondly remembered for growing blueberries, playing puzzle games, cultivating flower gardens (especially zinnias), watching NASCAR races and basketball games on TV, observing backyard birds, rescuing animals, watching a moonrise, driving her John Deere mower, and enjoying the color change in the fall - most likely wearing her signature head scarf for ear protection. She loved singing and music. Through her indelible influence, her family knows the catalogs of her favorite crooners Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, and Kenny Rogers. 

Cindy is preceded in death by her father and mother, Stanley and Mirriam Mistak, and her stepfather Oakley Finch. She is survived by her husband Bill Summers, daughter Heather Summers (Jason Rafail; Pittsburgh, PA), son Nathan Summers (Jennifer; Kent, OH), and the undisputed resolute joy of her life, granddaughter Neko Summers. Cindy is also survived by brothers Bob Mistak (Maryville, TN) and Pete Mistak (Emily; Gustavus, OH) in addition to a beloved group of nieces and nephews. 

While Cindy loved the exhilaration of a winning scratch-off lottery ticket, her friends and family would argue that knowing and loving her made them the lottery winners. In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Cindy’s passion for animal rescue and working with children, please consider making a donation in her honor to the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County (https://www.awlrescueme.com/donate/) or Children’s House at Johns Hopkins (https://believeintomorrow.app.neoncrm.com/forms/giving) . 

Those wishing to remember Cindy are invited to do so in a way of their own choosing, but obsessively checking the weather and tending to a backyard fire on a moonlit night would certainly be appropriate. On Saturday, August 31, there will be Visitation at 10:00 AM followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00 AM in the chapel at Dugan Cemetery in Fowler, Ohio. At 1:00PM a celebratory Hootenanny will take place at Camp Goodtimes on the Summers Farm to honor the legacy and joy that defined Cindy’s life. All are welcome to attend & invited to wear purple, Cindy’s favorite color. 

The family is in the care of Lane Funeral Home, Shafer-Winans Chapel. Online condolences can be made at www.lanefuneralhomes.com.