Cindy Taylor

Cindy Taylor, 68, of Terrell, Texas, passed away on December 22, 2025. She was born on April 16, 1957, in Midland, Texas, to Olen Wayne Taylor and Joyce Imogene Murphy.

Fiercely independent from a young age, Cindy left home at sixteen and joined the United States Army at eighteen. Her service took her to Germany, where she served in the Military Police. After her discharge, she earned degrees in liberal arts and construction management and continued to pursue challenges with the same determination that defined her early life. She practiced Tae Kwon Do, rode Harley-Davidson motorcycles as a Motor Maid, and never hesitated to take the harder path if it meant living life on her own terms.

Cindy’s daughter-in-law, Ingrid, affectionately described her as the “Rootin’, Tootin’ Cowgirl,” a nickname that captured her spirit well. Cindy was tough, driven, and relentlessly hardworking—qualities shaped in part by her love of horses and the long days she spent breaking and riding them from dawn until sunset. Beneath that toughness, she remained a child at heart, known for a laugh that could be heard from blocks away and a sense of humor that drew people in.

Animals were central to Cindy’s life. She once operated a farm that included emus, quarter horses, African servals, and hedgehogs. Above all, she deeply loved her dogs, Zoe and Eddie, who were her constant companions and brought her immense comfort and joy.

Cindy formed close, meaningful relationships with her coworkers and friends, often keeping things light with her favorite saying that she had “somewhere to go, things to do, and people to annoy.”

She is survived by her sons, Constantine Velentzas and John Hitchcock; her grandchildren, Izabella, Nikolas, and Luke Velentzas; her brother, Stacy Taylor; and her nephews, Philip and Colton Taylor.

Cindy wished to be cremated. Those who wish to honor her life may do so by donating to the City of Terrell Animal Shelter athttps://www.cityofterrell.org/214/Support-the-Adoption-Center.