April 10, 1943 - January 25, 2024
Cynthia was the first child of Willie and Elsie Steinke of Brunkild. She grew up on her parent's farm and from an early age she had the heart of a farmer. Cynthia and her sister Heather lost their dear father in 1957 when they were teenagers, it was a loss she felt deeply. Elsie made the pioneering decision to keep farming with her two girls, and Cynthia and her mom farmed together until 1982. Cynthia was a young woman who loved high heels, music, sunshine, and a growing collection of nieces. Cynthia went to business school, which would ultimately lead her to meeting her husband Claude, a colleague at CBC Winnipeg. Claude and Cynthia wed in 1980 and she left the farm and moved into Brunkild. The couple spent decades together dancing flawlessly and traveling the world. They welcomed their first child Tiffany in 1982 followed by Kurt in 1984. Cynthia shared her talent for sewing with Tiffany and they would make many things together. Cynthia was ever supporting to Kurt and one afternoon, after a day spent with his Gramma, when Kurt came home holding a surprise pet rabbit, she didn’t bat an eye.
Cynthia was involved in almost every facet of community life. She diligently volunteered with the church and hall boards, 4-H, cemetery committees, local senior services, and many other groups. In 1998, Cynthia ran for election to the R.M. of Macdonald council. She worked hard and held the position for four terms. The ditches and drains of Macdonald’s Ward 6 bear legacy to her passion for the job. She also gladly returned to working in farming to run the Bunkowsky's “Lea Bank Combine”, a John Deere 9600.
Cynthia would go on to lose her mother in 2007 and she was widowed in 2020. She was extremely active in her final years, maintaining her large garden and sharing cucumbers far and wide. She was able to take extremely memorable trips with her kids, taking Greek and South American cruises with Kurt and a thrilling and diverse tour of India with Tiffany.
Her sudden passing leaves a void in her family and her community, she will be missed so deeply. Her funeral will be held Saturday, February 3 at 11:00 at the St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Brunkild - Cynthia's beloved church from where she was baptized, confirmed and married. Internment at St. Paul’s Cemetery to follow with a reception at the Domain Hall in Domain, Manitoba afterwards.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Canadian Lutheran World Relief or to the St. Paul's Lutheran Church Cemetery Fund.