Great Party and Testimonies

Cindy’s birthday party was a great success! A variety of people came, a reflection of Cindy’s various spheres of influence. In addition to family, friends and neighbors, people came that corresponded to Cindy’s past involvement with scouting, church and, of course, hiking. Both the maid of honor (Cindy’s sister Lynn) and best man (Dave Beffa-Negrini) from our wedding were there. Dave and Patsy came down from New Hampshire that day with no warning, quite a delightful surprise. Everyone brought with them the ingredients for a delicious potluck.

I set up a slideshow of Cindy’s life, up through our hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. For the eventual memorial there needs to be a final chapter added which should include photos of the birthday party. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied to take pictures myself. If you were there and took photos please send them to me via email or Google Drive (humanityhiker@gmail.com).

The highlight of the evening was reading some of the testimonies people wrote for Cindy. Most of these were written a couple years ago. It’s never too late to provide one, whether for a memorial service or for works I plan to write. Here is a sample of what was shared at the birthday party.

From family member Connie Sinclair
I do know that Cindy is patient, kind and compassionate with a warm, friendly smile.  She loves her family, her animals and has an appreciation for nature.  She, for certain, loves hiking and has a strong sense of adventure.  She is genuine, with many qualities I admire.  Kirk is fortunate to have found her.

From family member Jill Sinclair
Here’s what comes to mind when I think of Cindy:
loving
the heart of her family
Death by Chocolate every Christmas
making gingerbread houses with the girls
loves dogs
so relaxed and easygoing
easy to be around; so easy to be around
down-to-earth
loves her garden
a big pot of her yummy, homemade, split-pea soup simmering
loaves and loaves (filling up your dining room table and then some) of her homemade bread
loves her kids and husband
welcoming and warm
never got around to putting all those photos in albums, or did she?
incredibly good-natured

From neighbor Kathy Tirrell
My best and most vivid memory of Cindy comes from when the kids were quite young. Heather and Lindsay, being a bit older, were able to entertain themselves while Terry and I sat relaxing on the porch after supper. Cindy, busy chasing after 3 kids under the age of 4 (?) often would yell over to us: ‘How many more years until I can sit down?”

From friend of the family Bill Perry
My favorite memory was the day the two of you introduced me to trail running. We made it from the trailhead in Falls Village all the way to a clearing near the top of Prospect Mountain. It was a beautiful and exhilarating fall afternoon. I was impressed that this was the kind of experience that you two shared often, and felt happy for you both.

From hiker Steve Markiewicz
At the last AT get-together, my wife Kathy was telling Cindy how pretty her little ground cover plants looked (green plants with little white florets), and apparently said something about how we wish we had some nicer ground cover at our house. Before we left, Cindy had dug up several plants and gave them to us to take back to NH. Kathy planted them and they have thrived ever since. Each spring when they started to green up and flower again, Kathy would comment on how nice it was that Cindy was so thoughtful.

From church member Meghan Patrick Link
My memory of Cindy is a wonderful sermon she did a few years ago.  I do not do public speaking, so I respect anyone who can give a sermon or speech.  She spoke about a book and I bought it.  I have since passed the book on to someone else and do not remember the title.  Basically, what I got out of it was to do the best you can every day!  As a nurse, mother and wife this made so much sense to me.  I still think about her words.  Thank you for sharing Cindy!

From Girl Scout co-leader Chris Hanley
I was the lucky woman to be Cindy’s assistant Girl Scout leader when our girls were scouts. Cindy renewed my faith in the importance of scouting for kids. She exposed the girls to the important things, like hiking and fire-making and cooking over that fire. We camped at several campgrounds with other troops, and I can still hear her laughing as she and I, in our own musty tent, listened to the girls squealing over a small spider in their tent. She never sweated the small stuff, and had a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude about everything we did as a troop. The girls all loved Girl Scouts with her because she always made it fun, interesting, and pressure-free. I’m truly grateful to her for being the kind of leader she was, and for sharing her rock-solid values with all of us Girl Scouts, old and young.

From visiting nurse Carol Simko
for me, cindy is:
the face of gentle sunshine, especially when it was the first face i saw when i arrived at work
a gleeful smile that allowed others in
someone who had something to say AND something worth listening to
a dear friend
a lovely woman

From college friend Jean Freqeau
It’s not an anecdote but words to live by ….  Cindy told me a long time
ago that “love is a choice”.  At an early age we are sold on the fairy tale
concept of love.  Cindy’s insight has remained with me to this day.

Last, but certainly not least, from long time friend and visiting nurse Kim Laudati
First off “Thank you for your presence in my life dear friend, I love you.”
At our first meeting, at the VNA, in 1987, where we job shared a full time position,
we were instantly ‘forever friends’
My sweetest experience of Cindy is ….every time I think of her I smile.
bread, bread, bread….especially her maple walnut : ) !!
Jane Brodys Good Food Cookbook all stained and worn …. thanks for the inspiration : )
Our 10 mile runs and dreaming, out loud, of pink lemonade on our return home. While we’d fight off ferocious deer flies!
Running the stairs at the Mad River Dam, yikes!
Raising our children….. “together”, AMEN for each others support on this one!
Pirate Island with the kids, Aye Aye
Gardening….. “together”
Hundreds of cups of tea ……”together” : )
Canning tomatoes in August in 90 degree weather with all 4 burners of the gas stove on high.
Quilts, quilts, quilts
Making Christmas tree skirts …….”together”
Running up Haystack, I’d be huffing and puffing and there she is talking a blue streak!!
Endless walks, and runs in the woods at the Norfolk Land Trust..piccolo……leah……
Cindy is tender, gentle, and clean. There isn’t a mean bone in her body.
She loves God and her family, she is my steadfast friend.
Her presence is a comfort to me : )
Sometimes I cry when I see her this way (that part was not shared), because I miss our talks and recalling our memories.
I thank you my friend again and again for your presence in my life, you continue to
add immense joy to it!!
Happy Trails!
See you when you get back, just in time for some scrapbooking !!
Oh yes by the way….did I say, ……”together”
Kim

If any of these memories spurs some of your own to share, please email them to humanityhiker@gmail.com.