Cynthia “Cyndy” (West) Benney

Cynthia “Cyndy” (West) Benney died in Naples, Fla., on Wednesday at the age of 79 from cancer.

She had lived in Naples since 1999, and spent her summers in New London, N.H.

Before that, she and her late husband J. Neil Benney, Jr., lived in Marblehead, Mass., for 30 years.

Cyndy was born in Middletown, Ohio, on May 21, 1936, to Helen and Jack West, both deceased, from Butler.

Cyndy met her beloved husband, Neil, on a blind date at a party in Baltimore where a friend of Cyndy's who was in the Naval Reserve introduced them.

After a whirlwind courtship, they were married and were together for 47 years until he died of prostate cancer in 2011.

Their life together was filled with happiness.

They both loved to sail and cruised from Cape Cod and the Islands to the coast of Maine for more than 40 summers aboard their yachts.

Both were avid golfers and tennis players, as well. They were members of the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead and the Pelican Marsh Gold Club in Naples.

Cyndy graduated from Mary Washington College, Fredricksburg, Va., in 1958 with a B.S. in chemistry.

She had an active career in health care, holding medical lab and business manager positions at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1958 to 1971 and Massachusetts General Hospital from 1971 to 1999 when she retired.

She remained active, in addition to sailing, golf and tennis, as a member of League Club in Naples, parishioner of St. John's Episcopal Church in Naples and in the American Needlepoint Guild.

Her hobbies included hiking, knitting, quilting and needlepoint, as well as traveling worldwide with her husband.

She was also an active volunteer member of The Fells in West Newbury, N.H.

The Fells is the restored family estate of John Hay, Secretary of State to Theodore Roosevelt and has beautiful gardens and provides educational programs.

Cyndy is survived by her twin sister, Lucy Preston, of Naples, Fla., Sherwood Forest, Md., and Blakehurst, Townson, Md.

She is also survived by her nephews, Jack Whiteford of Taipei, Taiwan and Dr. Mark Whiteford of Portland, Ore.; and niece L. Peyton Whiteford of Sherwood Forest, Md.; five grandnieces, and two grandnephews.

BENNEY — In lieu of flowers, Cynthia “Cyndy” (West) Benney, who died on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, wishes to have contributions made to The Fells, 456 Route 103 A, Newbury, NH 03255.