In memoriam: Cynthia McCrae
Cynthia Rice McCrae died February 18 in Indianapolis. She was 97. A teacher, church and community leader, partner, mother, and friend, she was a person filled with gratitude whose love and joy for life touched many lives.
Cynthia was born in Durban, South Africa, to parents who were missionaries with the Congregational Church. The family moved to the U.S. when she was eight years old. Music became a big part of her life; she played flute and piano and loved singing, especially finding a harmony part.
She graduated from Whitman College and took graduate courses at Chicago Theological Seminary. While in Chicago, Cynthia met her lifelong love and partner, Ian McCrae, a native of Toronto who was studying at DDH and the Divinity School. He would become an important theological voice and leader in social and economic justice and human and civil rights. After marrying in 1950, they lived in Des Moines and Los Angeles before settling in Indianapolis in 1963. During these years Cynthia and Ian’s five children were born.
She was one of the founders of the Downey Avenue Cooperative Preschool in Indianapolis in 1965. After one year as a “co-op parent,” she became the teacher, a role she held for more than two decades. At Downey Avenue Christian Church, Cynthia and Ian started and led the Explorers Class for young adults. Over the years, they opened their home to many people including exchange students, international visitors, and anyone who needed a place to stay. Their home was a place of welcome and acceptance.
In retirement, Cynthia and Ian joined with friends they met at DDH in the late 1940s, Dale and Betty Miller and Walter and Myra Abel; they all moved to a senior living community in Raymore, Missouri. One of their joys was to participate in St. Andrew Christian Church in Olathe, Kansas. Cynthia returned to Indianapolis in 2020. She reveled in living near most of her extended family and in making new connections at Robin Run and at Central Christian Church.
She is survived by her children Bruce (Betsy Headrick), Doug (Sue Meachem), Carol (Tim Zilke), Linda (Beverly Knight), and Maureen (Lloyd Wright); nine grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Ian, in 2011. Ian was honored by DDH's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2007; Cynthia remained part of the wider DDH community until her death. A memorial service was held on February 25 at Central Christian Church in Indianapolis.