BLOOM TOWNSHIP – Friends, family, and the Bloom Township community are mourning the loss of Fiscal Officer David Lee Cyphert.
Cyphert, 68, passed away Dec. 17 following a three-week battle with COVID-19.
Cyphert’s wife of 32 years, Anne, described David as an amazing, loving, and gentle husband and father.
“He put the ‘gentle’ in gentleman,” Anne said. “He was kind, compassionate, patient, and the most loving human being anyone could have ever met. He meant so many things to so many people.”
David was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Nov. 23 and was home recovering when he began experiencing breathing problems on Thanksgiving Day. He was taken to Fairfield Medical Center for treatment and later developed Pneumomediastinum, a complication from the virus.
Anne said she and the family are thankful to those who have expressed their support during this difficult time.
“The support has been overwhelming and it’s helping to carry me through and the kids through,” Anne said. “But it also helped carry Dave through. As he was isolated, so lonely, and so comforted in Fairfield Medical Center, you would’ve thought he was the only patient in that entire hospital the way they cared for him, this family, and me.”
The Cyphert family has used the phrase “Cyphert Strong” to get them through difficult moments in life, from David having near-fatal heart problems in the past, to their daughter battling stage-three breast cancer.
Despite the ups-and-downs of recent years, the family was able to come together and come out on the other side, remaining strong with David helping pull the family along.
While the family, friends, and community members who knew David mourn his loss, Anne wants others to be mindful of how deadly the COVID-19 virus can be.
“What people don’t get, is people don’t think it’ll happen to them,” Anne said. “We were so careful… We were so afraid of getting this. But the way Dave got this, from what we believe, was in an outdoor setting. He wasn’t indoors with people, he was outdoors.”
According to a media release from Bloom Township, Cyphert was instrumental in planning for the construction of Bloom Township Fire Station 552, which opened in 2016 in the geographic center of the township.
Cyphert was also manager of engineering at Techsonic Ultrasonic in Dublin. His engineering career spanned nearly 40 years and was a designer/inventor of engineering projects such as steel marking systems that helped solve the first World Trade Center Bombing and Oklahoma City bombing, large culvert extruder machines, electro-mechanical surgical generators, and most recently, ultrasonic welding machines for the automotive industry.
Along with his wife Anne, David is survived by their children Kevin (Ashton) of Westerville, Christopher (Nicole) of Brookville, and Lauren Do (Tony) of Marysville. He is also survived by his granddaughters, Brynleigh and Grace, stepgranddaughter Marley, and grandson on the way, Tyler David Do.
Viewing will take place outside of the glass doorway of Saint John XXIII Catholic Church in Canal Winchester Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 10 a.m. Masks and social distancing are required for those in attendance.
A funeral Mass for the family will be held at 11 a.m. followed by a public procession to the cemetery at 11:45 a.m. and a private burial. Members of the Bloom Township Fire Department will lead the procession.
Logan Weaver Media 