Cindy Lee was born on Tuesday, March 24, 1959 in Walkerton to Gordon and Muriel (Hagedorn) Becker. She was the second eldest of eight children; David (1957), Cindy, Helen (1960), Bette Anne (1961), Barbara (1963), Lisa (1965), Heather (1968) and Ken (1970). The Becker family resided in Paisley where the children attended Paisley Central School and later Walkerton District Secondary School.
A certain boy by the name of Marc Rene Gaudet moved to Paisley with his family in 1972. By 1974, he had captured the eye of Cindy and they began dating. The young couple were married on Saturday, May 19, 1979 at Church of the Ascension Anglican Church in Paisley.
After high school and in her early married years Cindy worked a variety of jobs. She spent time as a waitress at “The Lido,” a Chinese restaurant in Port Elgin, worked at her Uncle Dave’s (Hagedorn) Clothing Store and helped her parents at their Gas Station business.
The Gaudet family began to grow in 1981 when they welcomed their first son Chris. He was followed by Jason in 1985 and Paul in 1989. Their family was complete and Marc and Cindy could not have been happier. Cindy treasured her time with her sons during their youth and took great pride in being a mother. Once the boys began school, she often volunteered at the school, to further support her children and her community. Once they were all in school and getting a little older, Cindy returned to school herself, attending Georgian College and becoming an Education Assistant. She soon began working for the Catholic School Board, in a supply role and in recent years was a regular at Sacred Heart High School in Walkerton.
Cindy had a number of passions throughout life. In her younger years, she enjoyed gymnastics, figure skating and even took up kickboxing. Keeping active and in shape was always important to Cindy as she often had a gym membership. However, that did not stop Cindy from enjoying “Judge Judy” or watching figure skating competitions (over hockey… just ask the boys!) on TV. She absolutely loved Christmas and the opportunity to bring family and friends together. She was the glue that kept everyone together. No Christmas was complete without a game of Trivial Pursuit. The teams… Cindy and her sisters vs. Chris, Jason, and Paul. Cindy would never let Marc play as he knew too many of the answers and she was often angered by the useless information her sons always seemed to retain!
Cindy loved anything sweet and of course, no day was ever complete without coffee. She enjoyed reading, having a particular fondness for anything written by Danielle Steel. Cindy was fond of animals and will be dearly missed by her fourth son, “Mack” an Old English Bulldog.
Travelling was yet another passion for Cindy and Marc. Vacations in the South to places like Mexico, Cuba or Jamaica were frequent. Just last fall they travelled with friends on a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand and Australia. Any vacation was always treasured and enjoyed.
Cindy’s primary talent was bringing people together. She was the glue that kept everyone together. She was a selfless, giving, and loving woman who always had a smile on her face. However, a sense of direction was not one of Cindy’s gifts. Just ask her family about the time they got lost leaving a parking lot in North Bay!
Cindy taught, not only her school children but also her own family. Ask the boys about her one such lesson on “keeping your eye on the ball.” And of course, being a wife, mother and the only woman in the house, Cindy was ‘right about everything!’ It was not only Cindy’s family she strove to keep together, she also had a big network of friends. Meeting for coffee every Saturday at Marty’s was a must in her weekly routine. She also did manage to get away regularly with one of her sisters and take in a movie. We cannot talk about Cindy’s life without mentioning her grandchildren. She was so proud when she became a grandmother. Cindy treasured any time she got to spend with Connor, Jakob, Isaac and most recently Sloane. She would light up when she saw them and do anything to support her grandchildren. They were the apples of her eye, and now we have the task of passing onto them the stories of the wonderful, caring woman their grandmother was.
Cindy enjoyed this past Christmas, surrounded by friends and family, just as she wanted. Unfortunately, shortly after, she became ill and was admitted to hospital in early January. Sadly, Cindy passed away unexpectantly at Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound on Monday, January 27, 2020 in her 61st year.
Beloved wife of Marc. Loving mother of Chris of Oromocto, N.B, Jason (Amber) and Paul (Katheren), all of Paisley. Cindy will be dearly missed by her loving grandchildren, Connor, Jakob, Isaac and Sloane. Cherished daughter of Gordon Becker of Paisley and sister of Dave (Kathy) of Hunter River, PEI, Helen Becker of Paisley, Bette Anne Becker of Stayner, Barbara (Joe) Scott of Owen Sound, Lisa (John) Giardetti of Ajax, Heather (Paul) Bolton of Port Elgin and Ken (Angela) of Elora. Cindy will be dearly missed by Marc’s mother, Ella Gaudet of Paisley as well as his sisters, Gisele (Jim) Scurfield of Kincardine, Maryse Gaudet, and Janine (Dale) McTeer, all of Paisley. She will also be fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews, and friends. Cindy was predeceased by her mother Muriel (Hagedorn) Becker, father-in-law Gerard Gaudet and brother-in-law Ralph Lipskie.
A casual, come and go celebration of Cindy’s life will be held at the Paisley Community Centre on Sunday, February 2, 2020 from 12 noon – 4 p.m. All are welcome!
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or Breast Cancer Society of Canada would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
