Cynthia Stone Doty Stirling of Pleasant Valley died on Monday, July 14, just over a week shy of her 79th birthday. Cynthia was born on July 23, 1946 in Poughkeepsie to Franklin Doty and Olive Horan Doty. She graduated from Arlington High School and earned a bachelor's degree in Art History and Poetry from Elmira College. She spent her junior year abroad at the University of Hull in the UK.

She married Christopher Anthony Stirling in July 1976 at her family home in Pleasant Valley. Cynthia worked as a library clerk at Traver and West Road Schools. She taught Sunday School at the First Presbyterian Church in Pleasant Valley and volunteered for many years at the church's thrift store. She loved libraries, wildlife, and the natural world. She enjoyed family vacations at the beach in Westbrook, CT, and in the Adirondacks at Great Sacandaga Lake.

Cynthia and Chris's two children were blessed to have a mother who was so thoughtful and devoted to their education. She read classics of literature aloud to them from before they were born until well into their teenage years. She was a dedicated reader, keeping journals of books she'd finished and sharing recommendations with friends and family.

Cynthia is survived by her daughter Catherine and her husband, Kevin Galvin, of Sharon CT; and her son Sebastian and his wife, Leia Stirling, of Ann Arbor, MI; as well as her eight grandchildren: Agnes, Theodora, Leontine, Celestia, Christopher, and Franklin Galvin; and Ada and Hugh Stirling. Cynthia was predeceased by her parents and her husband, Christopher.