Cynthia "Cindy" Ann Edison was born April 23, 1934, to Harry and Effie (Vermeer) Stientjes in Boyden, IA, and grew up on the family farm in Doon, IA.

She knew from the time she was 12 years old that she wanted to be a nurse. She attended the School of Nursing at Lutheran Hospital in Sioux City, IA, and became an RN. She met her husband, Robert Edison, at the State Hospital in Yankton where they both began their careers in mental health. Bob was a psychiatric social worker and Cindy was a psychiatric nurse. They married on September 1, 1955, in Doon, IA. Cindy found true meaning in her work and loved nursing all of her life. She worked at the State Hospital in Yankton, McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, Brookings Hospital in Brookings, SD, the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown, ND, and retired from her last position at Ft. Meade in Sturgis, SD, in 2001. She loved teaching nursing students.

Bob and Cindy retired in Sturgis and were very active at Grace Lutheran Church and the Meade County Senior Center. Cindy loved to sing and was in church choirs throughout her life. She loved sewing of all kinds and we have many of her creations. She made quilt tops for the church and was a tireless servant of God and the church. She truly loved people and made an impact on countless lives wherever she went with her love, faith, and her goodness.

In earlier years, Bob and Cindy enjoyed camping adventures to the West with the family. Cindy loved hiking in the Black Hills and was still out on the trails until the last year or so despite having Parkinson's disease. As a nurse, she was able to study the disease and educated herself and others on how one can cope with and best manage Parkinson's disease. She led the Parkinson's Support Group in Sturgis for many years. She believed in getting out of a chair to do something and was always on the move. She never complained and never let Parkinson's rule her life. She took pride in educating herself on investments and was always interested in the stock market. She was an avid Twins baseball fan, a faithful pancake server for the church during the Sturgis Rally, and enjoyed many trips to Yellowstone and Lake Superior in later years. She loved the color red and we will think of her when we see anything red. She would like that. She loved her family. Her passing signifies the end of Bob and Cindy here on earth, but they both will live on in with those of us who loved them and we thank them both for all they did for us and what they meant to us. We will miss you mom. Now you can finally rest and your teaching is done.

Cindy, 81, died Friday, February 19, 2016, at Prairie Hills nursing home in Rapid City.

Cindy is survived by her children, Sandra (Robert) Littrell of Rapid City, Natalie (Dennis) Eslinger of Rapid City, Kirk (Annette) Edison of Sioux Falls, and Heidi Edison of Rapid City; 6 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother, Harlan (Marcia) Stientjes of Iowa.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; her parents; her brother, Ted; and her sister, Esther.

Funeral services will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. The viewing will precede the service at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

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