Cynthia Odile Kopsch

With family and friends by her side, Cynthia Odile (Pittaro) Kopsch, 63, passed away on Sunday, June 10, 2018, at her home in Chester MD. Visitations will be held on Thursday, June 14, 2018, from 1-3 p.m., Friday, June 15, 2018, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. in Chester, MD. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2018, at 11 a.m., at Saint Christopher’s Catholic Church, 1861 Harbor Drive; Chester, MD. Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA, at a later date. Cindy grew up in the Vailsburg section of Newark, NJ, and graduated from Archbishop Walsh High School in Irvington in 1973. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from The William Patterson College of NJ, in 1976 and a Masters Degree in Reading from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX in 2005. Besides being a devoted wife and mother who loved and cherished her family--especially her children and grandchildren-- Cindy was a passionate reading and elementary school teacher. She dedicated her working life to her students’ learning and welfare because she knew that a person is limited in what they can accomplish without good reading and comprehension skills. Constantly on the move as an Air Force wife, Cindy taught at elementary schools in North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, and at four different U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in the United Kingdom and Germany. She spent her career working tirelessly to prepare for and present instruction. Because of this, she touched the lives of thousands of American school children--having the kind of impact that only a great teacher can. Cindy was born on July 31, 1954, at St. Michael's Hospital in Newark, NJ. She was preceded in death by her father, William Anthony Pittaro, Sr., her mother, Evelyn Odile (nee Bertrand) Pittaro; and by her brother, James Vincent Pittaro. She is survived by her husband, Lt Col (retired) William Louis Kopsch of Chester, MD; by her brother, William Anthony Pittaro, Jr. of East Stroudsburg, PA; by her son, Christopher William Kopsch, Sr. of Wheat Ridge, CO; her daughter, Gillian Odile (nee Kopsch) Busick of Centreville, MD; by her four grandchildren, Christopher William Kopsch, Jr., Emily Odile Kopsch, Evelyn Odile Busick, and Henry Matthew Busick; her niece, Patrice (Pittaro) Terhune; her nephews, James, Daniel and Steven Pittaro; and many Pittaro and Bertrand cousins. Cindy was a non-smoker who lost a two-year battle with lung cancer. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made on-line to LUNGevity. LUNGevity is the nation’s largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, changing outcomes for people with lung cancer through research, education, and support. Your support will help drive advances in lung cancer detection and treatment that are saving lives, and providing free education and support to all affected by lung cancer. Like Cindy, people with lung cancer who have never smoked tend to be younger than smokers (and former smokers) who get the disease. In fact, two-thirds of the non-smokers who get lung cancer are women, and 20 percent of lung cancers in women occur in individuals who have never smoked. Every year, one quarter of all cancer deaths in the United States are caused by lung cancer. 234,000 Americans were diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and 422 Americans will die from lung cancer every day.

Cynthia Odile Kopsch

July 31, 1954 - June 10, 2018