Cynthia Lo, of Concord and formerly of Lincoln, passed away on September 10, 2023, at 92.
Cynthia was born in Boston and moved to China with her family at age 5 when her father, Kuang-Ti Mei, accepted a post at National Chekiang University in Hangzhou. After one peaceful year, their lives were disrupted by the Japanese occupation, and the family moved several times to escape the fighting to Hong Kong, Zunyi, and Chongqing. The family separated for much of this time from Kuang-Ti, who continued to work as a professor throughout the war. He passed away shortly after the war ended in 1945.
Cynthia’s mother, Ching-Ying Lee Mei, brought the family back to Hangzhou, but they fled to Macau due to the Chinese Civil War. Cynthia then returned to Boston with her two sisters, Yi-Tsi and Yi-Chi, to attend college. Life without her parents was difficult, and she found solace in playing the piano and singing in a church choir. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in music and then earned two master’s degrees in math from Radcliffe in 1954-5. After marrying Steven Shih-Ting Lo in 1956, she worked as a computer scientist, including positions at Lincoln Laboratories, GTE, and Honeywell. Cynthia and Steve lived in Lincoln from 1962 until 2003, when they sold their house and moved to a condominium at Concord Greene in Concord.
Cynthia loved classical music, opera, 60’s folk music, and jazz. She played piano and guitar and enjoyed swimming, walking, practicing tai chi, attending concerts, and visiting museums. She practiced Chinese calligraphy and had a special fondness for cats and pandas. After retiring, she traveled with Steve to Hawaii, Alaska, Morocco, and Spain. She taught adults English as a Second Language and volunteered at the Concord Council on Aging.
Cynthia and Steve had two children, Mark, and Shauna, who live in Boston. Mark is married to Patricia Shaw, with whom he has a son, Griffin. Cynthia also leaves a brother, Peng-Siu Mei, of Boston. Steve died in 2015.
Cynthia passed away after a brief illness. She had lived for the last year and a half at South Cove Manor at Quincy Point.
Services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to Mount Holyoke College, 50 College Street, South Hadley, MA 01075 or MSPCA, 350 S Huntington Ave.,Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, A Life Celebration Home, Concord, MA. To share a memory or offer a condolence visit: www.concordfuneral.com
