Today would have been Cindy Davis's 70th birthday. However, it was not meant to be. This is a clip of Cindy's life. She always said, “Every year after 30 is a bonus.”
Cynthia Nadine Davis was born in Sitka on May 2, 1955, to Harvey W. and Mary Lou Davis. Her father was enlisted in the Coast Guard then, which led to a move to Virginia, where Cindy began her schooling before returning to Sitka. Once back in Sitka, she attended Sitka schools. When she asked her dad for money for school clothes, he put her to work longlining. Cindy was home-schooled one year in Port Alexander. She protested, but her father said the family needed bonding time.
She was a member of the Sitka High School Drill Team, and graduated in1973.
She married Steve Skannes in December 1973 and they were together for a short period; she never remarried.
After her marriage, she traveled to Kauai, Hawaii, to attend community college. After her studies, she returned to Alaska, and started working for Sitka Telephone Company, a subsidiary of Alaska Telecom, under Dick and later Ed Cushing’s leadership. While employed there, she relocated to the Anchorage field office. Cindy was a crucial part of the team tasked with setting up and providing local and long-distance telephone services to remote villages in Alaska. Alaska Telecom noted that "…constructing telecommunications networks in a land of extremes – harsh winters, short construction seasons, vast distances, lack of road systems – was daunting.”
During this time, Cindy traveled to the remote villages, was often stranded for days due to weather. Flying in and out with Alaska Bush pilots, fit her well; she was a thrill-seeker and determined to get the job done. She loved and relived her unique experiences with the people of the villages frequently.
Cindy remained in Alaska until the winter of 1996, when she moved to the Big Island of Hawaii, Kona, fulfilling her lifelong dream of returning to Hawaii to live. She picked that island because of her deep love for volcanoes, a passion she carried throughout her life.
In the early 2000's, she was assigned to assist with obtaining a site and the logistics of installing satellites for Universal Space Network. Initially, Cindy lived alone at the site in one of their equipment trailers, a testament to her dedication to her work and adventurous spirit. Following that, she started working for Hilton Grand Vacations, selling various activities, and booking folks for potential timeshares. Cindy was knowledgeable at her job and awarded several top-performing distinctions.
Cindy loved meeting people and sharing her island knowledge; she did this until she was forced to retire due to medical conditions. Cindy had several diagnoses that left her in a state of constant pain. She fought the pain for several years before finally surrendering. Cindy passed in Waikoloa, Hawaii, on January 3, 2025.
Both parents preceded her in death, and a brother, Donald Davis, drowned while commercial fishing out of Sitka. She leaves behind her sister, Deanna Cunningham; a nephew, Cody Cunningham; and numerous aunties, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Cindy enjoyed the outdoors and adventurous sports. She volunteered for and supported the Iditarod, Ironman, and Special Olympics in Alaska and Hawaii.
Cindy did not request services, and wished that her ashes be spread over Mt. Edgecumbe and Kilauea volcanoes; her sister Deanna and good friend Colleen would fulfill her wish.
