Cynthia Ryba

Cyndy Ryba (“Grammy”, “CJ”), 81, proud grandmother and retired banker, of Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, formerly of suburban Lombard, passed away at home less than a month after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Raised on a small four-acre farm in Bensenville, Cyndy and her two sisters were advised not to make pets out of the rabbits lest they end up on the dinner table. After graduating from York High School, Cyndy declined a full scholarship to Northern Illinois University’s art school and headed straight to work. She met the man she would marry while working as a skilled draftswoman at Alpha Engineering.

Cyndy was extremely resourceful and creative and enjoyed making clothing and sewing. She sewed clothes for family and friends and specialized in creating the most elaborate Halloween costumes for her children.

On Stewart Avenue, Cyndy made sure our house was THE house where the kids wanted to hangout. She loved having a front, side and backyard full of children. All summer long, she made sure there were homemade popsicles in delicious flavours including fudgesicles made with chocolate pudding and there was always enough for everyone. Matthew and Jean have fond memories of the freezer filled with those iconic Tupperware popsicle sets.

She continued to take on freelance art jobs while raising her family. One day, while making posters for the State Bank of Lombard, Cyndy was asked to pinch-hit and “pretend to be a banker”. This unconventional start led to a long career in banking. She eventually retired after more than two decades at Northern Trust Bank. As a vice president, she helped VIP clients at the Passport Help Desk.

In addition to drawing and painting, Cyndy loved gardening and had the greenest of green thumbs. Her love of plants extended to a passion for the environment, and she was recycling and composting before it was a thing. Everyone who saw her house in Lombard remembers her love of native prairie landscapes and wildflowers. She kept an amazing backyard garden, even winning a Lombard Garden Club prize.

Her love of gardening ironically led to the only regret she ever expressed. She often said that had she known how much joy she could get from a patio garden, she would have moved to the wonderfully diverse Rogers Park earlier than 2021.

Cyndy was a big Chicago Cubs baseball fan from childhood and was delighted to see them win the World Series in 2016. She loved telling people that she achieved her bucket list goal of seeing the Cubs play in the World Series at Wrigley Field and at spring training in Arizona. She usually followed up by noting that on both occasions the Cubs lost, but she didn’t mind too much.

Cyndy was fiercely independent and a genuinely caring and giving person who could often be found striking up conversations with strangers. She made friends easily, and her neighbors in her Rogers Park condo became like family to her.

When Cyndy received her diagnosis in July 2026, her first question was, “Will I live long enough to vote in the midterms?” Politics mattered deeply to her. She believed passionately in democracy and gave her time to support candidates she believed in. She enthusiastically braved the bitter cold in January 2009 to attend Barack Obama’s first inauguration.

Cyndy’s five grandchildren were her greatest joy. As each of them were born, she re-found her youth and happily got on the floor and read to and played ridiculous and silly games with them. As they got older, she played board games, Legos and puzzles with them. All of them absolutely adored her.

Cyndy was the loving mother of Jean Ryba and her husband Alistair Tuhrim of London and Matthew and Millie Ryba of Chicago. Dearest “Grammy” of Naomi and Noah Tuhrim and Beckett, Finnley and Harrison Ryba, and sister of Eileen.

She was preceded in death by her sister Patricia, her parents, Murl Richard Bair and Myrtle Nusbaum Bair, and her former husband, James Leon Ryba.

The family wishes to thank Unity Hospice for their gentle patience and support during her short illness. The nurses and all the staff were everything we needed, right when we needed it.

Our deepest gratitude goes to Judie Anderson for her endless support, care and friendship over the years, which extended beyond her dear friend Cyndy to Jean and Matthew, as well.

As most of you know, Cyndy loved flowers, but since she’s not here to enjoy them, please feel free to honor her memory by making a donation to the charities that were closest to her heart. Memorial donations may be made to:
Camp One Step — https://camponestep.org
or
A Just Harvest — https://www.ajustharvest.org.

Per Cyndy’s wishes, there will not be a formal funeral. She preferred the idea that we would all remember her in our own personal way.

Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-318-1305 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.