Cover photo for Cynthia Matyi's Obituary
Cynthia Matyi Profile Photo
1948 Cynthia 2014

Cynthia Matyi

March 1, 1948 — November 25, 2014

MATYI Cynthia A. (nee Eckerle) Matyi, March 1, 1948 to November 25, 2014, beloved wife of Stephen Matyi, loving mother of Julie nee Ramirez (David) Czulewicz, dear sister of Jana (Joe) Rouse and Jon Eckerle, also survived by other family members and many dear friends. Preceded in death by her parents Jack and Shirley Eckerle and her sister, Chris Freel.

One of the achievements that Cindy was most proud of was her role as founder and artistic director of the prestigious Cincinnati Celtic Festival for 15 years. In addition to producing and organizing arts events and performing with the ensemble Silver Arm for many years, including shows with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops, she was a long-time board member of Cincinnati Folk Life and of the Riley School of Irish Music. But her major achievement was as a painter whose recognizable style incorporated ancient motifs and contemporary themes of peace, renewal, ecology and creativity. She was a primary organizer of the touring exhibition, “American Celtic” and her work appeared in shows through the US, Canada and Europe. She illustrated CD and book covers, posters and websites and presented workshops on Celtic art to students of all ages. Her painting Thou Glorious Sun has been featured a number of times on the CBS Sunday Morning show. She wrote and illustrated a children’s book, “Little Town of Spirals” published in 2008. A graduate of Mt. St. Joseph University (BFA), she also spent over 25 years in health care as a vascular technologist and hospital manager and was one of the founders of the Society of Vascular Ultrasound. In 2009 she started Little Town Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to provide support for two humanitarian groups working in Moldova. She also enjoyed tutoring and mentoring at Riverview East School and painting delightful impressionist pictures of her Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood.

Visitation will be held at the Irish Heritage Center of Cincinnati, 3905 Eastern Ave. in the Columbus-Tusculum area of Cincinnati, on Saturday, November 29th beginning at 2 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 4 p.m., immediately followed by a wake. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Little Town Fund c/o The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, 200 W. Fourth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, or to The Irish Heritage Center, PO Box 8695 Cincinnati, OH 45208.

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