Cynthia Zapp

Thora Cynthia Zapp, 99, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, passed away on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at Pennsburg Manor. A much-loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend completed her life peacefully. Cynthia was born in East Orange, New Jersey, to the late Agvald I. Swensen and Thora M. Aamodt Swensen. She was the loving wife of Edmund L. Zapp, Jr., for 60 years.

Cynthia attended West Orange High School in West Orange, New Jersey, and the former Mountainside School of Nursing in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Her nursing career began at the Student Health Center at Montclair State College, where she also pursued her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Before completing her studies, Cynthia married Edmund Zapp, Jr., and they moved to Philadelphia, where Edmund enrolled in medical school. Cynthia then worked as a surgical nurse at the Osteopathic Hospital in Philadelphia until the birth of their first child.

In 1956, Cynthia and Edmund settled in Quakertown, where she devoted herself to raising their five children: Edmund III, Sally, David, Fred, and Cindy. Cynthia also served as the bookkeeper for Quakertown Osteopathic Clinic. She held various positions in the community, including serving as a school nurse and with multiple hospital auxiliaries. She was a dedicated member of the First United Church of Christ in Quakertown and the Women's Club of Quakertown.

A skier and tennis player throughout her youth and adulthood, Cynthia ensured her children learned and enjoyed both sports. She continued to play tennis and took up golf in her sixties, enjoying both well into her nineties with her late husband and dear friends. Retirement gave Cynthia more time for family vacations and leisure activities. She and Edmund traveled often, including a memorable trip to Italy and spent many summers surrounded by family on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, and Sebago Lake, Maine.

Cynthia's family will deeply miss her tenaciously positive attitude and encouragement. Throughout her long life, Cynthia was a steadfast and grounding presence, a constant source of love and wisdom, and a provider of unwavering support and stability for those she loved. She was preceded in death by her siblings Ellen, Gordon, Mildred, Thelma, Irene, and Norman, as well as her daughter Sally and her ever-loving husband Ed, Jr. She is survived by her children Edmund III, David (Jane), Fred (Amy), and Cindy (Andrew); her grandchildren Matthew (Erin), Christopher (Zinta), Emily, Katlyn (CJ), Haley, James, Erica (Will), and Leah (Joshua); and her great-grandchildren Zigmund, Liga, Madelyn, and Thora.

Cynthia will be buried privately. Family, friends, and neighbors are warmly invited to gather at the family home on September 21, 2024, from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM to share memories and celebrate Cynthia's life.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks for donations to the Michael R. Walker Foundation in memory of Cynthia Zapp.