Former Santa Maria Times publisher Cynthia Schur dies after cancer battle

Brooks said Schur was a previous member of the Marian Foundation board of directors, and was approached by Marian and Mission Hope leaders with an idea for a Day of Hope fundraiser and agreed to help make it come about. In its ninth year on Aug. 17, Day of Hope has raised more than $1.56 million to benefit Mission Hope Cancer Center patients and their families.

Schur’s career spanned more than 40 years in media, including a number of years selling advertising for Yellow Pages, and she was the second woman appointed to the role of publisher by Pulitzer Newspapers Inc.

She was named president of Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers in January 2003, coming from Pulitzer’s Garden Island newspaper on Kauai, Hawaii, where she had been president and publisher since 1998.

During her tenure in Hawaii, Schur oversaw the conversion of the 100-year-old publication from afternoon to morning distribution, the acquisition of the Kauai Business Report, the redesign of the Garden Island newspaper, the KauaiWorld.com Real Estate Guide and the Kauai Beach Press, and the launching of related online editions of those publications.

As president of Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers, Schur served as publisher of the Santa Maria Times, Lompoc Record, Santa Ynez Valley News and the now-defunct Times-Press-Recorder and Adobe Press.

During her first year as publisher, she oversaw the launch of El Tiempo, a short-lived weekly bilingual newspaper serving northern Santa Barbara County and southern San Luis Obispo County.

Schur also guided the staff through the transition to Lee Enterprises' ownership when the corporation purchased all Pulitzer’s newspapers in 2005.

When she arrived on the Central Coast in 2003, Schur said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be in Santa Maria and I’m looking forward to being involved in the community.”

Involved she was. In addition to serving as a member of the Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation board, she also served on the boards of Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, Allan Hancock College Foundation, Domestic Violence Solutions and Catholic Charities and was a member and past-president of the Rotary Club of Santa Maria.

In 2004, she was among those nominated for the Women’s Economic Ventures’ Business Women of the Year Awards.

She served on the California News Publishers Association board of directors for 14 years, including a term as president starting in 2012.

Of her tenure, then CNPA Executive Director Tom Newton said a standout of her presidency was the annual press summit she organized. "It was really a pro effort," he said.

During her time on the board and as a member of the association Schur had a significant impact, Newton said.

"She chose her words really carefully and didn’t kick in on every issue, but when she spoke, people really listened. They had a lot of respect for the things she had to say and the positions she took. She was really a steady hand on the leadership of CNPA and had a great influence on the board overall."

Newton noted Schur's concern for CNPA's fiscal well-being, and said she helped him personally look for smart ways to cut expenses and increase revenue to help CNPA be successful. 

"Personally, Cynthia was a good friend," Newton continued. "More than anything else she took such tremendous pride in her son, Sam. She was a delightful person. She and Sam were great together. She really loved him a lot."

Schur left Lee Central Coast Newspapers in November 2019, and in August 2021 she joined S. Lombardi & Associates as a marketing representative.

Service information will be provided at a later date.