Cynthia Ann Irvin

Mrs. Cynthia Irvin, age 59, of Dothan, Alabama passed away Sunday, November 17, 2019.

Visitation will be held on Friday, November 22, 2019 from 4 PM to 6 PM at the funeral home.

Funeral service will be Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 11 AM at Stringer Street AME Church.

Burial will immediately follow the service at Friendship AME Church Cemetery.

Cynthia Ann Alexander was born July 11, 1960, in Dothan, Ala. She was the first of four daughters born to Jeremiah and Gracie Alexander.
 
She accepted Christ at a young age, and became a lifelong member of Stringer Street AME Church. Cynthia was a member of the Young People Department (YPD), a junior usher, sang in the choir, and enthusiastically participated in various organizations.
 
She attended Dothan High School where she excelled as a track athlete. Following graduation in 1978, she enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a material supply specialist. During her five and a half - year enlistment, Cynthia served in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Her last duty station was in Columbus, Ga.
 
After military service, Cynthia worked at Ansell Healthcare where she remained employed until her health began to decline.  Cynthia was on dialysis for more than two decades. Yet, she fully accepted what was happening to her body and never complained.
 
During her life, Cynthia lovingly welcomed one child—Christopher Lawrence Reed. Cynthia’s husband, Linwood Irvin, preceded her in death.
 
Naturally creative, Cynthia attended cosmetology school and used her skill to style the hair of Dothan’s women. She was a talented artist who enjoyed drawing faces freehand, and was a true “fashionista” who loved wearing stylish clothes and shoes.
 
But the kitchen was her favorite creative outlet. If Cynthia entered your home, expect her to take over your kitchen. Her dishes were all expertly prepared and presented, and she made the best collard greens in town. The joy Cynthia found in cooking was only surpassed by the joy she experienced while watching others eat the food she made.
 
Cynthia often reminisced about how she used to beat up her sisters when they wouldn’t do as she asked. The four girls were bound together by a strict code of silence. The younger girls loved their older sister dearly and didn’t want her to get into trouble, so never told their parents when disagreements escalated into fights. Cynthia returned her sisters’ loyalty by fiercely protecting them from outsiders. Although she would happily beat her sisters up herself, Cynthia wouldn’t stand idly by if someone else wanted to cause them harm. And everyone knew not to run from Cynthia. If you did, you were going to get caught.
 
Toward her parents, Cynthia displayed endless respect and love. She didn’t talk back, and when she addressed them, every “Yes Ma’am” and “Yes, Sir” was in place. Even after she had to move into a nursing home, Cynthia called to check on her parents every morning.
 
 It is often said that life comes full circle, and that was the case on November 17. As Cynthia drew her last breath, her parents—the people who had breathed life into her—stood by her side. As difficult as the task was, they blessed their eldest daughter one last time and gave her permission to go.
 
Those who mourn Cynthia’s passing include her son, Christopher; her parents, Jeremiah and Gracie Alexander; her sisters, Cheryl Alexander Kelly (Jim), Bristow, VA, Dena Alexander, and Christina Alexander Crawford (Derrick), Wasilla, AK; nieces, Portia Hives (Jashaud), Daytona Beach, FL, Kayla Brooks (Brett), Atlanta, GA, Devan Fowler (Samuel), Seattle, WA, Alyssa Bradley, Baltimore, MD, and Camille Crawford, Marcos, TX; and nephews, Raymond Bradley, Jr., Huntsville, AL  and Alexander Kelly, Hampton, VA. Great nieces include Marissa Hives, Mackenzie Hives, and Gracelyn Hives; plus, a host of other relatives. Cynthia will also be missed by her dedicated friend of more than two decades, Equilla Brown and her neighbor, Mrs. Fannie Tarver. 
 
Together, we will all remember Cynthia as a woman who lived life on her own terms, and who was willing to give the world to others while expecting nothing from them in return.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Cynthia Ann Irvin, please visit our floral store.