Cynthia K. Ballard

3/23/1941 - 9/21/2021 Cynthia Ballard, age 80, passed away peacefully on September 21, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Chicago, Illinois on March 23, 1941, Cynthia attended Omaha Public Schools and graduated from Central High School in 1959. She pursued and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree in Education from University of Nebraska . She taught elementary education in the Omaha School District for 45 years and was a dedicated and excellent teacher . Over the course of her career, she was a role model of caring, kindness, and empathy for her students. She loved her “kids” and they loved “Miss Ballard”. Cynthia lived a full life, and her family and friends were at its center. She was a loving daughter to her parents, Ivory and Elaine Ballard , stopping by to visit every day after work. She was sister to two younger brothers with whom she shared a deep and lasting bond. She was “ Auntie Cyn” to her “d’nieces and d’nephews”; a title she especially loved. She freely gave of herself and her time – taking them to movies, shopping, hosting sleep overs, and entertaining them with her special gift for butchering the words to songs old and new with abandon. She loved seeing them and hearing about all their adventures and when they needed a loving supportive voice, they knew they could always call on her. Cynthia also was a cousin and dear friend . In her spare time, Cynthia enjoyed bowling and participated in leagues. She was an avid reader, finishing multiple books a month and sharing her love of books with others. She also was an expert cruciverbalist and heaven help you if you did the Daily Jumble before she got her hands on it!  She loved watching Wheel of Fortune, tennis, Steve Harvey, and westerns and sometimes she was known to put a dollar in a slot machine. Christmas was her favorite holiday, and she would shop until she dropped making sure everyone had that special gift under the tree. Cynthia was a daughter, sister, auntie, cousin, friend, and teacher. She was a good and kind person to everyone she met. We will all miss her dearly. She is survived by her brothers Gary Ballard of Kansas City, Missouri and Vernon Ballard, Omaha, Nebraska , niece Terri Bradford of Kansas City and nephews Pastor Gary Ballard Omaha, Nebraska and Kevin Hannahs, Kansas City, great-nieces Omran Ballard and Demri Ballard, great-nephews Payton Hannahs, Bryce Bradford, DeHaven Hannahs, Garrett Ballard, and Gabriel Ballard, and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral Service: 11:00 AM Monday with visitation 1-hour prior from 10:00 – 11:00 at Roeder Mortuary, 4932 Ames Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska. Burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery Omaha, Nebraska. Roeder Mortuary, Inc. - Ames Chapel - 4932 Ames Ave - Omaha, NE - 402-453-5600  www.RoederMortuary.com