Cynthia Marie Rankl

Cynthia Marie Mattsen Schwartz Rankl, 80, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, passed away peacefully on January 23, 2026.

She is survived by her husband, James Rankl; her daughters, Julie (Alan) Schwartz Fuller and Vicky (Daniel) Schwartz Corby; her stepchildren, Samuel (Amy) Rankl and Abigail (Jeff) Rankl Carroll; seven grandchildren, Rachel Christoph, Emily (David) Rankl Whetstone, Anna Rankl, Ben (Romy) Carroll, Michael Corby, Megan Corby, and Nicholas Corby; and two great-grandchildren, Wyatt and Braden Whetstone.

Cynthia was born on February 20, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota. She spent much of her childhood in Duluth at Northwood’s Children’s Home and later lived with her uncle, his wife, and their seven children while completing high school in St. Paul Park.

She went on to attend Mount Mary College in Mankato, Minnesota, from 1963 to 1968, where she majored in English and elementary education. During this time, she took temporary vows as a School Sister of Notre Dame, living under the name Sister Irene Marie. After five years, she discovered that the Sisterhood was not her lifelong calling.

That same year, Cynthia taught fourth grade at a School Sister of Notre Dame school in Forest Lake, Minnesota, where her students fondly knew her as Miss Mattsen. At the conclusion of the school year, she moved from St. Paul to Minneapolis.

In 1971, she married James Schwartz, and together they welcomed two daughters, Julie Ann Schwartz Fuller and Vicky Jean Schwartz Corby. Following their divorce in 1978, Cynthia worked tirelessly as a single mother to support her family, attending business college at night while working as an executive secretary at the General Mills headquarters in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

In 1980, Cynthia and her daughters moved to Wyoming, first settling in Laramie and later making their home in Cheyenne. There, she met James Rankl in 1982, and they were married on May 21, 1983. Through that marriage, she embraced her role as stepmother to Samuel Rankl and Abigail Rankl Carroll, whom she loved as part of her family.

Cynthia found joy in many quiet pursuits. She was a voracious reader and loved fiber arts, especially knitting and crocheting. She also enjoyed gardening, quilting, working puzzles, and, most of all, watching her grandchildren grow.

Throughout her life, Cynthia endured significant hardship, from a difficult childhood to numerous health challenges later in life including cancer, Sjögren’s syndrome, fibromyalgia, and dementia. In her final years, dementia profoundly altered her and eclipsed much of the woman her family had known. Even so, she will be remembered for the life she lived before illness took hold: for her fierce independence, tireless work ethic, and her deeply held values, beliefs, and convictions.

Cynthia requested that no funeral or religious ceremony be held.

“This is but the winter of my life. I have watched the seasons play out year after year. Each spring, life renews itself.”