Cynthia Powell enjoyed being outdoors and loved her horses, said Paul Powell, her husband of 34 years.
“She was a horse person. She loved horses since she was a little girl,” he said. “She loved everyone to death. There wasn’t a human being on Earth that didn’t like her.”
Cynthia Powell, 52, of Valparaiso, died Aug. 5. She enjoyed being a homemaker.
The couple met in sixth grade and started dating a few years later.
“We loved each other very much,” he said.
She grew up participating in 4-H and enjoyed riding and showing her horses. In adulthood, she taught kids how to ride and enjoyed going to horse shows. At one time, she even owned a racehorse, her husband said.
“She loved being outside in the middle of nature,” he said.
She was drawn to all kinds of animals, and at various times owned cats, dogs and birds. One time, after the family car hit an owl, she rescued the bird and took it to the veterinarian so it could be rehabbed and released into the wild.
“When people would come over, I’d say, ‘Welcome to our zoo,’” he said.
She loved spending time with the family and going on family camping trips.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called multiple systems atrophy, which was diagnosed by the Mayo Clinic. It is similar to Parkinson’s and ALS, her husband said.
“She wasn’t herself at the end,” he said. “But I’m hoping her death can bring attention to this rare disease.”
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