Cindy Mock

Cindy Stuart Mock grew up in Cleveland, Tennessee, a small rural town located between Knoxville and Chattanooga, surrounded by a large, closeknit family. She holds fond memories of the special time she spent on Sundays with her father, Hardwick Stuart. Each Sunday they would attend Broad Street Methodist Church and then stopped at Central Drug Store where her dad would talk to his buddies, and she would get a piece of toasted pound cake topped with vanilla ice cream!

Cindy’s grandmother held a strong commitment to educating her children and grandchildren. In the 1930’s she sent her son, Cindy’s dad, off to Washington & Lee and her daughter, Cindy’s Aunt Mary, to Randolph Macon Women’s College. Mary went on to attend graduate nursing classes at UVA and became a nurse technician in Charlottesville. During that time, John Minor Maury Jr. (Jack), having completed his law degree at UVA, became the Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Albemarle County. Mary was a key witness in a high-profile case Jack was prosecuting during that time. They subsequently met and married in 1939.

Jack and Mary, who did not have children of their own, made it possible for Cindy’s brother to go to Episcopal High School in Alexandria. Cindy’s grandmother sent Cindy off to the Madeira School in Falls Church, Virginia. She returned to Tennessee after two years at Madeira and finished high school at Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga.

Cindy shared a 37-year marriage with Walter Edwin Mock, Jr. Their years together began in Cleveland, Tennessee where son, Walter III (Tres) was born.  Walter and Cindy both completed their degrees at Middle Tennessee State University in 1970, leading to job opportunities in Chattanooga, Nashville, and Lafayette and New Iberia, Louisiana. They moved to Lynchburg in 1989 where Walter accepted a position of Assistant Material Manager at Centra Health and where Cindy continued her teaching career.

Walter died unexpectantly in 2001. Cindy cites the importance of the support that surrounded her from close friends at Boonsboro Elementary and St. Paul’s Episcopal, her neighbors, and her friends from Churches for Urban Ministry, including Bonnie Benedict. 

Cindy’s teaching experience spanned 40 years with the last 20 being her favorite at Boonsboro Elementary. Besides her son and grandson, she is most proud of being awarded Teacher of the Year twice at Boonsboro and once for Bedford County.

Cindy is delighted to be here at Westminster Canterbury where she can sit on her new balcony, listen to the birds, and enjoy a lovely garden that she doesn’t have to weed!