Cindy Englan Wentz, born and raised in Ashland, Wisconsin, quietly departed this realm in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 30, 2026. She was 68, three weeks shy of her 69th birthday.
She was born Cindy Kay Englan on April 18, 1957, the third child of Jeanne Marie Vogue and Richard James “Dick” Englan Jr., who later owned Sketch Korner tavern in Ashland from 1962-72. Cindy was waiting tables in her grandmother’s (Florence Thompson Derda) restaurant, which was attached to Sketch Korner, by the age of 7. She was devoted to her grandmother and loved every minute they could spend together.
In the spring of 1972, the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to get away from the snow and cold. She attended Mitchell High School, enjoying the creative writing classes and senior seminar field trips most of all.
Cindy loved all dogs, her family always had poodles and later they raised Dobermans as well. She got her first dog when she was five and was hooked. From that point on, she could never see a dog without stopping to say hello. She felt the same way about people, they were never strangers, she was friendly with everybody she met.
When she was 18, she moved to Orange County, California, to see if the Beach Boys songs about the California sun and surf were true. While she was there, she met her first husband, David Franklin Stanley. They moved back to Colorado Springs and were married on October 4, 1980. She lived in Vancouver, Washington; Aurora, Colorado; and Janesville, Wisconsin, before settling down in Colorado Springs again. Despite that, she was a Wisconsin girl through and through.
David and Cindy had two sons, Adam David and Matthew James. Her marriage to David ended in divorce in 2007. Cindy married Timothy Joseph Wentz on October 10, 2010, and often said that Tim was everything she’d ever hoped for in a man. She loved his two sons, David and Patrick, like they were her own.
Adam and Matthew planted a seed in her when they asked to be homeschooled. Cindy was a devoted unschooling advocate from that point on and continuing until the day she died. She did new homeschooler seminars, taught the ins and outs of the Colorado homeschool laws and organized the inclusive 1998 Homeschooling For Everyone conference attracting people from all over the country to speak and to attend.
Cindy also loved doing genealogy research. She found hundreds of cousins that she’d never been told about and she would help anyone who asked.
Cindy was preceded in death by her parents; her maternal grandmother, Florence Derda; her first husband, David; her sisters, Bonnie Englan and Kathie Englan; and her niece, Kathie’s daughter, Laurie Jean Mendoza.
She is survived by her husband, Tim; her sons, Adam and Matthew; her stepsons, David and Patrick; two grandnephews, Devon Jacob Uelman and Hunter Mendoza Hagan; and a grandniece, Kieley Mendoza-Hagon.
No memorial service is planned. Donations may be made in Cindy’s name to your local Humane Society.
Mom, I miss you more than you could possibly know.
RIP Cindy. You were special from the time you were a little girl. Yes, I knew you way back then! You were smart, pretty, a devoted wife to your love, a wonderful and caring mom. I’m proud to have called you my friend.
Thank you for telling her story! The Echols family met Cindy some time after we moved to Westminster, CO in 1982. Margie rescued her and the boys when their car broke down! We also homeschooled and bonded over that work. We were sad to leave Colorado in 1994 because we would not be able to work on homeschool events with her! Love, Margie and Clark
Tim and family.
There are very few words that can make this sad time any easier for you. But keep your faith in GOD AND you will be given the strength to handle it in due time.
My prayers are with all of you and I have fond memories of the many telephone conversations Cindy and I had trying to determine all of uthe cousins we had and how they fit into this wonderful family tree. She now has all the answers and may she now rest in peace in the presence of GOD.
DEEPEST SYMPATHY!
COUSIN RUSS HENDRICKSON
Sorry for the loss, of Cindy. Just talked to her in Jan.
We had an immediate connection in about 1969… stayed in contact throughout the years after she left Ashland for Colorado. Pre computers we were out of touch for years and reconnected during some wild times in her life, through Facebook.
She was far too young to leave this world. I will not forget her.
I wish those left behind some peace in dealing with your grief and loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Tim. Our family is sending you our love and prayers during this difficult time.
Love,
Your cousin Laura
Mom – I love you, and it’s taken awhile for me to think of what to say. I feel like words aren’t enough, and so I decided to stop overthinking it and just leave it at that: I love you, I miss you, and I hope that you find peace.
Cindy was a kind and generous soul. We were related by marriage of a family member and not blood relatives. She and I both were researching past family members to share on Ancestry.com so others could know who their family members were. It is sad to hear of her passing. I knew she was not feeling well and have lost so many of her blood relatives and was feeling the loss. May she rest now and enjoy family in heaven. It was lovely to get some information on my first husband’s family.
Tim, thank you for the notification. You and your family are in my prayers. Debra Lee Peters (First spouse, David Buvens), from Birmingham, Alabama