Longtime NAU employee Cynthia Menand dies

elderly woman

Cynthia Menand, a longtime NAU employee and avid Lumberjack basketball fan, died July 29, 2008, following a prolonged illness.

Ms. Menand moved to Flagstaff in 1979 to manage the Monte Vista Hotel for her good friends, Molly and Ross Carder. She later worked as a grant writer for the local women’s shelter and transcribed reports for a local detective agency.

Ms. Menand joined NAU in June 1989 and spent most of her career in the Department of Admissions. She also worked in Creative Communications and Marketing and Public Affairs until her retirement in July 2004.

Following her retirement, she worked on a temporary basis for Admissions and Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. Ms. Menand held a degree in education from Oregon State University.

Ms. Menand was a season-ticket holder for Lumberjack men’s basketball, attending nearly all home games, befriending student-athletes and coaches. She also enjoyed working at the July 4 county horse races for more than 20 years, and coordinating the food for the annual Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Flagstaff Bowl-a-Thon fundraising event.

She was preceeded in death by her sons, Jon Eldridge Menand and Robert Louis Menand. She is survived by her daughter Betsy Menand Hanson (Curtis) of Flagstaff and sons Jeff Menand (Liane) of Daton, Ore., and Mike Menand (Gretchen) of Longmont, Colo., as well as her brother, Graves Cox of Carmel, Calif., and her three grandchildren, Bryce and Connor Hanson and Jackson Menand.

Family and friends are invited to share their remembrances of Ms. Menand at a celebration of her life at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at her daughter and son-in-law’s home: Curtis and Betsy Hanson, 11110 N. Lupine Lane, Flagstaff, AZ 86004. Go north on Highway 89, and make a left on Campbell at the Chevron station. Travel one mile on Campbell and make a left on Lupine Lane.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions are made to the Cancer Center at Flagstaff Medical Center, 1200 N. Beaver St., Flagstaff. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.norvelowensmortuary.com.