Cynthia Cooper Milliken
December 26, 1937 ~ January 17, 2026
Resided in: Gainesville, Florida
Cynthia “Cinni” Cooper Milliken, 88, of Gainesville, Florida passed away at home on January 17, 2026. She spent her last days surrounded by her beloved family and friends and her dog, Phoebe.
She was our sage and our muse. She was a den mother to so many and a kind and generous comfort to everyone she loved and who loved her. She brought people together and was always open to learning new ideas (except when it involved technology!).
After opening the Hardback Cafe with her children in 1989, Cinni’s house became the go-to place on Sundays for softball, potluck, and bonfires. Her brother Burnham was often in attendance and became a family fixture for all the friends. After she sold the Hardback, she decided to go back to college to complete the undergraduate degree that she started after moving to Florida to attend Stetson University at age 18. She completed an Associate’s Degree at Santa Fe College and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Florida in 2005 at age 67. She went on to become an adult literacy tutor to help others learn the beauty of reading.
Cinni was an avid gardener, a voracious reader, and was a well known coffee enthusiast in her earlier years. Crafting was one of her favorite hobbies. Her pursuit of making perfect elderberry jelly involved multi-generations of her family. Visits and her daily phone calls with her sister, Charlee, brought her joy. She was the keeper of her family’s memories and history. She loved all animals, particularly her dogs and kept her house full of furry friends. She was always down-to-earth and unpretentious, qualities much appreciated by the people in her life. She will be greatly missed.
Cinni was born in New York City in 1937 and grew up in Pound Ridge, New York and Cincinnati, Ohio before moving to Florida. Her passing was preceded by her parents, Alan Mills Cooper and Eleanor Dickinson Cooper, her brothers, Alan Cooper and Burnham Cooper and her grandson, Blake. She is survived by her beloved children, Alan, Eric, Tina, and Steve and daughter-in-law Jessica, best friend and sister Charlee, grandchildren, Brandon, Jefferson and granddaughter-in-law Celia, Julia, Trevor, Vivienne, Brooke, Taylor and grandson-in-law Dustin, Stephen, and Mariah, eight, soon to be nine, great grandchildren, and the Song and Cooper families.
Call family for more information as all friends and family will be invited.
Cinni donated for decades to organizations dedicated to the advocacy, care, and protection of domestic animals and wildlife. If you would like to donate in her memory to these charitable organizations, the links are provided below.
Memorial Gifts | Tribute Donations| Send a Card | ASPCA
Give a Tribute or Memorial Gift | National Wildlife Federation
Crevasse’s Simple Cremation is honored to serve Cynthia’s family
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If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be part of this family. She brought Jefferson and me together, and because of that, we have Micah. Now I have a family of my own and a mother-in-law who is as kind and caring as she was. Her love lives on through all of us. She will be deeply missed, always remembered, and forever loved.
She would love her name, she would love Lainey just like the rest of them.
She was the most kind human, never judged even if you felt like she was, she was just trying to give you a different perspective something I don’t learn about her until I was an adult, and I will always regret not realizing that sooner. I tried to visit every time I was down, and I’ll never forget the time we surprised her and called ahead and made sure she’d be home but told her I made a quick trip down and just didn’t have time to see her. She was so disappointed, and then surprised lol. We just hung out at the house and watched all of the kids play on the piano, and she never once complained. Just smiled and enjoyed every moment of it. Soaking it all in. I strive everyday to be more kind more open minded more patient with the world around me and the people in it because of her. Her love for you for the kids for me and my kids for the people around her. For strangers, will always be known, because she instilled that into us. Love you grandma miss you more than words can explain.