Obituaries - January 20, 2026

Tony Thomas

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Captain Tony Thomas (Cupcake), who transitioned peacefully listening to country music surrounded by his wife and kids on January 17th 2026.   He was born on February 12, 1962, to parents Sandra Ottaway and George Thomas of Surf City, NC. He spent his youth raising cane and wrecking havoc around Surf City, his hometown, the place he loved with his whole heart. 

Tony is survived by his wife Denise Thomas, children Shana (Mark) Burdette and Cody (Ashley) Thomas, his cherished grandchildren Greyson and Braelyn Burdette, and Harper and Alaina Thomas, mothers Sandra (David) Ottaway, and Elma Thomas, brothers Tim and Todd Thomas, his sister  Marcy (Dougan) Fraizer, Uncle Doug Thomas and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends with whom he deeply loved.

Tony is preceded in death by his grandparents George Rufus and Elvie Thomas and Clyde and Goldie Ottaway, his father, George Thomas, father-in-law Edwin Dumas, Cousin Ryan Thomas, nephew Marcus Fraizer and beloved big baby, Doug Hoffman.

Tony was known for his laughter and his ability to make people smile. He never knew a stranger and would give anybody the shirt off his back. He loved to share his knowledge of commercial fishing, stories of his many adventures in and around Surf City, up and down the east coast and Puerto Rico.

He will be remembered by all of us as someone almost larger than life with a twinkle in his eye, a heart of gold and a mischievous attitude. He has left a significant hole in our hearts and a pair of Sneads ferry sneakers that can never be filled. He will be forever missed.

Family will receive friends at 10 AM, followed by a memorial service at 11 AM on Saturday, January 24th at Andrews Mortuary Hampstead Chapel, 17730 Hwy 17 N, Hampstead. Please enter through the entrance on Transfer Station Road.

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Cynthia Day Di Scipio Auth

Ocean Isle Beach - Cynthia Day Di Scipio Auth, 87, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Cynthia was born in Winnetka, Illinois in 1938, the second of three daughters for John Williams Day and Doris McGarrity Day. She graduated from New Trier High School in 1956 and moved to Colorado to enroll at Loretto Heights College. In 1958, family events forced her to leave college, but she promised herself that she would eventually return. She took a job as a stewardess for United Airlines to support her

family, during which time she met her first husband, Joseph R. Di Scipio, “an artistic, thoroughly American son of Italian immigrants.” They married in 1960. In 1962, she joined Scandinavian Airlines as a marketing and sales representative. This job brought her closer to one of lifelong loves—travel. She flew regularly to Europe and Asia. In 1967, Cynthia and Joseph adopted their first son, Joseph Michael,

and in 1969 they adopted their second son, John Alan.

In 1977, Cynthia and Joseph divorced. While it took time and effort from both of them to navigate their new relationship, they remained close friends until she passed. From 1978 until 1991, Cynthia worked at the University of Denver, finishing her career there as an administrative officer. In 1990, Cynthia fulfilled the promise she made to herself when she left Loretto Heights 32 years earlier, graduating from the

University of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Religious Studies and minoring in English. She then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she pursued a Master of Theological Studies degree at the Harvard University School of Divinity. She focused her work on women’s spirituality and confronting racism and graduated in 1993.

In 1995, Cynthia achieved her lifelong goal of becoming a spiritual educator. She became a Faculty Member at Regis University in Denver, where she taught Comparative Religions and helped develop the online religious studies program. She became an Assistant Professor in 1998. The first of her three grandchildren was born that same year, and she gained an additional title—Nona. In 2012, Cynthia married her second husband, Craig Auth, and retired from Regis University. Craig died on January 22, 2024, with Cynthia by his side.

Near the end of 2024, Cynthia decided she had one more adventure left in her. After 68 years in Colorado, she packed her bags and moved to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, where she spent the last year of her life.

Cynthia’s life was characterized by leaps of faith, each taken with an unwavering sense of self. She took her first leap of faith when she left Illinois for Colorado alone at the age of 17. She divorced her husband at a time when divorce was both uncommon and riddled with stigma. She returned to the classroom as a 46-year-old full-time professional and single mother and lived in the dormitories at Harvard University at

52 years old in order to immerse herself in her studies. She saw herself as a student of the universe, describing the Earth as “an ever-present classroom to which we each bring liabilities and possibilities.” She reveled in her own humanity and that of others—she loved books, music, poetry, art, and good food. She noticed the ways light streamed in through windows, and she carried a deep spirituality with her for her entire life. Above all else, she loved her family, and she cherished her role as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother.

Cynthia is survived by her two sons, Joe and John Di Scipio, her daughters-in-law, Erica and Peggy Di Scipio, her three granddaughters, Adelia, Joanna, and Margaret Di Scipio, and her sisters, Diana Day Burger and Pamela Schaefer. They all love her desperately.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent in Cynthia’s name to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Foundation, 1414 Physicians Dr., Wilmington, NC 28401, or online at LifeCare.org/donate.