Cynthia Marie Knapton Obituary

Cynthia Marie Knapton (nee Loughran), 92, died Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at her home in Littleton, N.H. She was born Feb. 10, 1931 in Long Island, N.Y., the daughter of Charles and Mona Loughran. She was the wife of Kenneth S. Knapton, Jr. of Hillsborough, N.H.

Cynthia grew up in a large Irish American family with five siblings. After graduating from high school, she joined the Dominican Nuns, a Roman Catholic order, and was a nun for 18 years, working as a third grade teacher in California. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She had special expertise in printmaking. Cynthia later moved to New Hampshire, working as a professional artist for many years focusing initially on engraving and later on landscapes and portraits in pastels. As an artist and amateur decorator she had a terrific eye for color and proportion and threw herself into her projects with true zeal.

In addition to her accomplishments as an artist, Cynthia had numerous talents, including piano, singing, decorating, and storytelling. She particularly loved her parish St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Littleton, N.H. and devoted many hours to arranging flowers and decorating the church for religious holidays throughout the year. She was recognized as a gifted Reader of the scriptures at Mass, for which she was frequently complimented. Her dramatic yet tasteful delivery breathed new life into oft-heard Bible passages in a way that allowed many listeners to connect to the scriptures as never before.

Cynthia was an avid reader of mostly spiritual books and the occasional novel. She was also a fine writer and wrote wonderfully sensitive cards and letters. She was blessed with – and blessed us with – a delightful sense of humor, a keen emotional intelligence, and an artist’s passion for nature. She loved a good party, a good joke, and the company of good friends. Her sincere and ardent Christian faith was the foundation of her long life. She will be deeply missed.

Cynthia was predeceased by her brothers, Brian and Patrick, and her sister, Mona. She is survived by her sister, Trudy, and brother, Terry; her granddaughter, Ayla, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A wake will be held 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Littleton, N.H followed immediately by a funeral service at 11 a.m. in the church. Interment will follow at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery on West Main Street in Littleton. Family and friends are invited to attend.