Cynthia E. Shoemaker

Welcome to this tribute site for Cynthia Shoemaker. We invite you to share memories and photos (see box below).

Cynthia's memorial service, long delayed due to the pandemic, will be held on Thursday, June 23rd at 11:00 AM at First Church in Cambridge, UCC (11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-547-2724). For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed at the church website (https://www.firstchurchcambridge.org).

The Rev. Cynthia E. Shoemaker, a minister in the United Church of Christ, beloved mother and grandmother, dedicated friend and community member, educator and mentor, passed away peacefully on April 21st, 2021, surrounded by friends and family. Coming of age at a time of significant social change, she faced many new situations throughout her life with quiet courage, profound love for those around her, and devoted faith.

A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Cynthia grew up in the nearby town of Signal Mountain. She attended Girls Preparatory School and City High School in Chattanooga, then went to King College in Bristol, TN where she met fellow student W.L. (Bill) Holshouser, Jr. of Arlington, VA. The two were married shortly after college in 1962. Cynthia taught high school English for the first time in Midlothian, Virginia, in the year that town’s high school was desegregated. For the next several years, they lived in various places around the South as Bill began his career as a Presbyterian minister. They spent a year in Vienna, Austria, and then lived for four years in Little Rock, Arkansas. During this time they were involved in Civil Rights and anti-war activity, attending meetings where they heard such luminaries as Fannie Lou Hamer and Julian Bond speak.

In 1971, Cynthia and Bill relocated to the Boston area, and in 1973 became founding members of Common Place, a housing cooperative that grew out of Old Cambridge Baptist Church. Ten families bought an apartment building in Cambridge, renovated it together, and built an urban community that became like an extended family and continues to this day. Families lived in separate apartments but had regular meetings, workdays, and celebrations, supporting each other and growing close. Cynthia and other group members often attended demonstrations in favor of nuclear disarmament and other peace-related causes. After Cynthia and Bill separated in 1979, she remained an integral part of this community while living elsewhere.

In the next phase of her life, while sharing custody of two kids and working, Cynthia took classes at Episcopal Divinity School, earning her ordination as a minister in the United Church of Christ (Congregational), a denomination that was an early supporter of ordaining women. Along the way, she also worked as a hospital chaplain, secretary, librarian, and as a staff member at Waging Peace, where she helped to develop a peace education program at local universities.

Cynthia held several posts as an assistant minister, with a focus on Christian education. The longest of these was at First Church in Cambridge (Congregational), where she worked for ten years. Other posts included Second Congregational Church in Winchester, MA; Bethany Congregational Church in Foxboro, MA; and Plymouth Church in Framingham, MA. In each of these places, Cynthia’s work was central to building community; she formed lasting friendships everywhere she went. At First Church in Cambridge, as well as running the Christian education program, she organized women’s retreats and was active in Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. She occasionally wrote words for new hymns, collaborating with musicians at First Church. Meanwhile, she ministered to her congregations in daily life, comforting the troubled, visiting the sick and elderly, and officiating at wedding ceremonies, funerals, and baptisms. In all these ways, her calm, spiritual presence touched the lives of a great many people.

Cynthia was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1999. She persisted with quiet strength, doing her best to enjoy life and stay connected with those around her, continuing to work until she reached retirement age in 2004. In later years, one way she faced up to her condition was by participating in creative activities for people with Parkinson’s. She sang in a choir called the Tremble Clefs and took a dance class for people with Parkinson’s, both at Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Waltham. She lived for several years each at Neville Place Assisted Living in Cambridge and at Courtyard Nursing Care Center in Medford, where she continued to make friends and contribute to a sense of community. During these years, her Common Place and church friends were especially supportive and present for her. The relationships she built came back to embrace her during her last several years.

She is survived by her daughter Molly Holshouser, son Will Holshouser, granddaughter Anna Holshouser-Belden, and daughter-in-law Kathryn Belden, all of Brooklyn, NY, and two nieces, Lori Shoemaker of Washington, DC and Luci Stone of Hixson, TN.

A memorial service will be held on Sept.19th at First Church in Cambridge, MA (see sidebar for details). Generous even in death, Cynthia donated her body to research through Tufts Medical School; burial will be held at a later date. The family suggests that donations be made to First Church in Cambridge, UCC or Michael J. Fox Foundation (Parkinson's Research); see donation links below.