Cynthia (Sears) Ritvo

Cynthia Sears Ritvo, 82 years of age, of West Hartford, CT died Wednesday, March 27, 2019 in the presence of family. She was the widow of Dr. Arnold Ritvo. Born in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Sadie (Yellen) Sears.

Cynthia was a prominent academic in Hartford, graduating from Smith College Phi Beta Kappa in 1958 and getting a Masters degree and attending a PhD program in mathematics at SUNY Buffalo. In the early 1960s, she became one of the few women to become a full-time, then tenured, math professor at Hartford College for Women, and more recently at Hillyer College of the University of Hartford where she became chair of the department. She taught at Hartford College for Women and the University of Hartford for over 50 years.

Cynthia lived in Switzerland after marrying Arnold while he completed his medical education. She was a supporter of Jewish education, with both of her children attending Hebrew Academy of Greater Hartford. Tragically her mother died when Cynthia was 24 years old after which she was a surrogate mother for her younger sisters, including helping to plan their eventual weddings.

She is survived by her daughter, Dr Brooke Ritvo-Pechinski and her husband Matthew of Falmouth, ME; her son Scott Ritvo and his wife Pauline of Winchester, MA; her sisters Nathalie Alpert and her husband Stephen of Swampscott, MA, and Lois Schreiber and her husband Dale of New York; and six grandchildren, Baxter, Hunter, and Mason Pechinski, and Jacob, Jordan, and Benjamin Ritvo.

Funeral Services will be held at 12:00 noon on Monday, April 1, 2019 in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Ave., Hartford, CT with Rabbi Yitzchok Adler officiating. Interment will follow in the Beth Hillel Synagogue Cemetery, Wolcott Road, East Granby, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the cancer charity of your choice. For further information, directions, or to sign the guest book for Cynthia, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com/funerals/cfm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the cancer charity of your choice.