Hildred Cyr, 73, second-grade teacher, thespian, human-rights activist and committed mother and grandmother, died peacefully at Careage of Whidbey on Oct. 26, 2009 of Pickwickian Syndrome. Hildred entered hospice exactly one month before her death.

She is survived by two sons, Craig Cyr and his wife, Susan Cyr, and Clark Cyr and his fiancé, Jean Tapper. Hildred’s grandchildren are Spencer Cyr, Forrest Cyr, Benjamin Cyr and Ameli Cyr.

Hildred was born on a cold Jan. 29, 1936, in Gordon, Neb. She witnessed the injustice of racism firsthand against the Ogalala Lakota, who traded in Gordon and who lived just north at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. These stark experiences of racism left an indelible mark on her which shaped the rest of her life. She spent her youth in Gordon before attending college at Nebraska Wesleyan, in Lincoln, Neb. She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in speech and communications. She and her family moved to Baldwin, Kan. where she took a job as a second-grade teacher in a neighboring town.

Her passion for theater led her to try out for a role in a Civil War-era play which portrayed the struggle between free and slave states. Her portrayal of “Mrs. Grimm” was enjoyed by the community for 11 years. She also joined a local Unitarian congregation which provided her with an outlet for her interest in human rights, peace and justice.

In August 1970, Hildred and her husband made a fateful decision to challenge the authority of the local school board which enforced a draconian dress code. This challenge resulted in a high-profile court case that garnered much attention in eastern Kansas. It also generated much consternation among the local populace of Baldwin, resulting in extreme vitriol towards Hildred and her family which bordered on violence. Eventually, the court ruled against the Cyr family, forcing their sons to abide by a dress code that dictated personal-appearance details down to the length of hair for males. Two years later, Title IX was passed by the U.S. Congress, mandating that equal treatment and equal opportunities be made available to all students regardless of gender. This effectively dismantled the dress code. Hildred, recognizing injustice, was ahead of her time, but at great personal cost.

After both sons headed off to college, Hildred moved from small-town Kansas to Boston, Mass. There she joined the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, which led to many international trips promoting human rights and independence for impoverished women.

In the late 1980s, she journeyed to Nicaragua and Guatemala as a U.S.-sponsored proxy war raged through these countries.

Hildred moved to the Northwest in 1994 to be closer to her sons and their families.

She was an activist to the end, promoting recycling and conservation at Careage, promoting Island Transit at public meetings, selling Obama buttons and dreaming about a day when peace and justice might prevail over war, violence and racism.

A memorial service is scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island. Come with memories to share or send a memory to HildredMemories@gmail.com.