Obituary
Born in KIngston, Jamaica, on January 29, 1947, Cynthia was the sixth child of Gertrude and George Gregory, nestled between older sister Merle and younger sister Daisy. All of her brothers and sisters (and she would have 7 in total) remembered Cynthia as the quietly determined one who tried to avoid getting into trouble or breaking the rules. She was always the peacekeeper, the one you could tell your secrets to and she wouldn’t break your confidence. When Cynthia finally left her family home, she surprised everyone by taking a job working on a cruise ship, the Norwegian Cruise Lines, and it was around that time that she met her future husband, Carlton, who was so infatuated with her that he would drive from Kingston to Port Antonio to meet her when her ship was in port. After a whirlwind romance, Cynthia and Carlton got married in 1968 and welcomed two children, Tracey and Robert in the subsequent years. The young family eventually immigrated to Canada, settling in Vancouver in January 1978.
Cynthia worked many years in the banking industry, at CIBC. It was there that she met her best friend Tess, on the first day of their employment. After a lengthy career in banking, she decided to go back to school, completing a diploma in Special Education, which allowed her to share her love of learning with her students at Anderson Elementary School in Richmond. So many young lives were touched by her kind and gentle manner. In addition to her own students, Cynthia also supported her daughter, Tracey’s school community at West Point Grey, regularly helping to chaperone, judge, supervise and support the students in the debate and Model UN program. In this role, Cynthia regularly travelled with her daughter on debate trips that took her all over the world – to Singapore, Malaysia, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece to name but a few. Although she loved travelling to exotic locales, she treasured the times spent with family, especially her sisters’ homes in Florida and Connecticut.
Cynthia had a rich and fulfilling life, full of wonderful friends and travel adventures, but what she loved the most was the time that she spent with her beloved children, Tracey and Robert, her wonderful daughter-in-law Patience and her precious grandchildren, William and Hannah. “Grandie” as she was known to William and Hannah, were their first caregivers as babies and over the years, she was right there cheering them on at baseball, hockey, field hockey and soccer games. She never missed school concerts or birthdays or special events and she was especially proud of William’s recent graduation from high school and acceptance into university. Cynthia was a devoted mother and grandmother and her family basked in the unconditional love that she shared with them everyday.
Cynthia was a deeply spiritual person, a devout Catholic, who lived her life according to her faith. We will all miss Cynthia’s loving spirit, her wonderful voice and her smile that lit up her face and shone so brightly. We know that she will continue to live on in those who knew her and loved her; hopefully she will teach the angels to play scrabble with her or do the crosswords as we can’t imagine her going without her favorite pastimes.
We remember now in love,
Your life from start to end
And we’re just glad we knew you
As Mother, and as friend.
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Cynthia Delores Lee January 29 1947 August 24 2018..
Décès pour la Ville: Vancouver, Province: Colombie britanique
