Cindy Upton

Cynthia (Cindy) Upton passed away December 12, 2022 at her home in Ft. Worth, Texas. Cindy was born in Lawton, Oklahoma on October 14, 1955. She was the first of three children born to Greg and Doris Knapp. Cindy’s family moved to Connecticut when she was a young girl and lived there for several years before the family relocated to Farmers Branch, Texas. She graduated from R.L. Turner high school and then attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a degree in business.

To the many friends and family members who knew Cindy in those formative years, she was the quintessential 1970’s hippie. Going to school at UT and living in Austin in the 70’s, all while driving her Volkswagen Beetle, made her a poster child of that time. But this version of Cindy really holds a special place in the hearts of her friends and family because of Cindy’s unique ability to tell her stories with humility and humor, pulling everyone into her experiences. She had many great stories of working at the original Antone’s on 6th street in Austin and life in the city at that time in general.

Those who truly knew Cindy knew her as a deeply kind, generous, intelligent, outgoing, and inquisitive person. This was reflected throughout her hobbies and interests. She was a member of the high school tennis team and continued to play as an adult. She learned to play the piano as a child and loved to dance, carrying her love of music through the rest of her life. Cindy was an avid reader and could strike up a conversation with anyone on almost any topic. She also loved movies (especially scary ones), often going to the afternoon matinee with her father, Greg Knapp. Cindy was a champion of lost or abandoned animals, helping many animals find homes and letting many more come home with her. She loved her pets and any animal she rescued was well cared for and deeply loved. More recently, Cindy loved going on road trips and riding bikes with her husband Bill, with Galveston forever holding a special place in her heart.

While Cindy enjoyed a successful career in real estate and property management, her life was truly defined by her family. Cindy was the center of the family and the trusted communicator – she always knew what to say to bring her large family together. She was the bedrock for her husband Bill and her children, and later, a doting grandmother. She was immensely proud of her family and was there at a moment’s notice for any of them. The importance of family was evidenced by the relationship she maintained with her former husband Doug, and the Kemptner family.

Cindy is survived by her husband Bill Upton; her three children and their spouses - daughter Sara and husband Darshan Sachde and her two sons Ryan Upton and his wife Whitney and Kyle Upton and his wife Camille; brother Greg Knapp; sister Jennifer and her husband Jason; and nieces Marlowe and Jacquelyn and nephew Layne. Her favorites, however, were her two beautiful granddaughters, Annika and Lydia.