TUSCALOOSA – Sydney Finnell Cummings, age 80, of Tuscaloosa, died October 6, 2016, at home. Services will be held Monday, October 10, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Christ Episcopal Church with the Rev. David Meginniss and the Rev. Dr. Catherine Collier officiating and Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremations, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. The family will receive guests in Randall Hall immediately following the service. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frances (nee Blackwell) and Woolsey Finnell, her brother, Steve Finnell and her husband, Oswill McGee "Jackie" Cummings III. Survivors include her daughters, Catherine Pugh (Grady) and Frances Rumsey (Steven), five adoring grandchildren, Sumner and Sydney Rumsey, Douglass, Sophie and Nicholas Fairbairn, her brother, Woolsey Finnell (Linda) and six nieces and nephews. Sydney was born in Decatur, Alabama, on December 18, 1935 where she began school. Her family moved to Tuscaloosa in 1946 and the remainder of her schooling was in Tuscaloosa city schools and at the University of Alabama where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She graduated with a BA in 1957 and later earned an MA in 1972. She taught intermittently in French and English departments at the University from 1957 through 1991. Her lifelong quest for learning and spiritual understanding led her to an intense study of theology, first locally in Education for Ministry (1994) and then at the Oxford (England) Summer School in Religious Studies (2000-2003). Throughout these years she mentored other EfM students and taught an Efm-based Sunday School class at Christ Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church meant much to her and she gave freely of her time, resources and talents in support of its activities and governance over many decades. Not all of Sydney's intellectual pursuits were quite so weighty. Some consider her a bon vivant of the first order. She operated from a sense of abundance and enjoyed life immensely. She loved people, travel, art, music, the pleasures of the table and the social whirl generally. Her innate sense of style was refined by years of educating her eye and her beautiful historic home became the manifestation of her inimitable taste. A generous hostess, she opened its doors frequently to family and a plethora of friends who were always delighted to be included in the festivities. Above all, Sydney was a much-beloved mother, grandmother, godmother and friend. She will be greatly missed by all who were privileged to know her. The family would like to express its thanks to her caregivers, Betty Cosby, Debra Hopson and special friend, Flora Simmons. In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to the Christ Episcopal Church Lazarus Ministry or the Community Soup Bowl. Condolences may be offered at www.heritagechapeltuscaloosa.com

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Published in Tuscaloosa News from Oct. 9 to Oct. 10, 2016