Obituary of Cynthia A. "Cindy" (Ruscitto) Hammond

Bath – Cynthia Ann (Ruscitto) Hammond, 66 years of age, passed away suddenly on Friday February 20, 2026 in Zephyrhills, Florida. Cindy was born on June 5, 1959 at the Nouasseur Air Base in Casablanca, Morocco the daughter of James and Anna (Marks) Ruscitto. She grew up in Wayland and was a 1977 graduate of Wayland Central School. Cindy earned her Bachelor's Degree at Elmira College and her MBA from Syracuse University. She was a valued employee and colleague at Siemens Energy (Dresser-Rand) in Painted Post for nearly 45 years. Although retired in January, she liked to stay busy and continued to consult for the company on a part-time basis. Cindy and Robert “Bob” Hammond married on August 31st, 1996 on their property in Wheeler, surrounded by their children, family, and friends. They have celebrated over 29 happy years together. Cindy's hobbies and interests were many. She was an avid reader and baker, loved Jeopardy! and ice cream, and always had a puzzle to work on. She was a master gardener who generously shared her skills and harvests with loved ones and the community. Flowers, vegetables or fruits- it didn't matter, Cindy was very successful and her produce stand in Wheeler was well-known. Every year she gifted family and friends canned goods, jams, and of course her homemade spaghetti sauce. For the last few summers, Cindy also enjoyed selling her produce and baked goods at local farmer’s markets with her daughter, Jessica, cherishing the time it allowed them to spend together. Cindy loved to travel and had an adventurous spirit underneath her calm demeanor. She was a two-time sky-diver and enjoyed white water rafting, hiking, and kayaking. Her goal was to travel to all 50 states. Annual family trips have been a constant, both in the US and abroad. For the last few years, Cindy and Bob went to Florida during the winter where she swam with the manatees. Cindy truly lived each day to the fullest. There are many plans left undone, but only because there was so much she wanted to do. Cindy valued helping others, whether two or four-legged. She was a regular blood donor with her best friend, Mary Jo, and she adopted several special needs dogs over the years. She recently began volunteering at the Finger Lakes SPCA, volunteered at local community gardens, and donated produce to local food pantries. While she enjoyed many hobbies and interests, it was her family that was most important to her. She loved them fiercely and was a constant source of wisdom, guidance, and support. She was immensely proud of her children and the close relationship they had. Spending time with her family on their property in Wheeler was always special. What started as a serene place to visit and spend weekends evolved into their permanent home when she and Bob built a house in 2019. She loved tending to her gardens and her green house and watching deer and hummingbirds in the back yard with Bob. Cindy was pre-deceased by her mother, Anna Starcher, and father, James “Boogum” Ruscitto; infant siblings, James Jr. and Tina; and a granddaughter, Madison Allen. She is survived by her husband, Robert Hammond of Bath; children, William “Ben” Allen of Bath and Jessica Allen of Wayland; step children, Kevin (Becky) Hammond of Bath and April Curtis (Patrick “Monkey” Ferster) of Dansville; grandchildren, Caitlyn, DeLanee, DeLacee, DeWalt, Devon, Tristan, Paige and Brianna; great grandchildren, Paisley and Zachary; her step father, Robert Starcher of Mt..Morris and step-mother, Kay Ruscitto of Campbell; her siblings, John Ruscitto of Springwater, Diane (Scott) Lodge of SC, James (Linda) Ruscitto of Wayland and Amy Ruscitto of Farmington; her sisters in law, Beverly Frost of FL, Janice Cook of Bath, Diana Bidlack of Bath and Sheila Hammond of Bath; along with many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and her dogs Barrett and Bella. Family and friends are invited to call Saturday March 7, 2026 from 11am-2pm at St. George-Forsythe Funeral Home, 109 West Naples St., Wayland. Loved ones are welcome to attend a celebration of life at 2pm at the funeral home, directly after calling hours. There will be a reception to follow, with details to come. This summer, the family will host an outdoor celebration of life at their home in Wheeler as Cindy wished. Contributions in memory of Cynthia A. Hammond may be made to the Finger Lakes SPCA, 72 Cameron St., Bath, NY 14810. You can also honor Cindy’s memory by becoming a blood donor and supporting your local library.