Cynthia (Cindi) Lee Gawne, born on February 1, 1960, in Erie, PA, passed away on December 28, 2024, in Andersonville, TN. Cindi was preceded in death by her mother, Rosemary Winegar, and her father, Lee Winegar. She is survived by her husband, Ken Gawne, whom she so deeply loved. She will forever be loved and missed by her sister and brother-in-law, Laurie and Bill Koval.

Cindi loved and embraced the peace she found in nature and wildlife. Their home and property were her sanctuary. Together throughout the years, they cared for goats, sheep, a pot-bellied pig, a cow, dogs, and rabbits. Cindi was passionate about taking these animals to nursing homes, schools, church events, and the Fort Sanders Educational Development Center. She received a TV8 Volunteer of the Month award for her efforts. Cindi also enjoyed crocheting hats and scarves for those in need. Over the recent years, Cindi shipped hundreds of hats, scarves, and encouraging notes to Ukrainian children and soldiers. She admired those who persevered through adversity and was particularly drawn to reading WWII stories.

She held herself and others to high standards, valuing kindness, integrity, and fairness, especially for those who struggled. She was deeply loved and loved those around her. Her love language was writing and she cherished communicating and connecting with others through letters, cards, emails, or simple texts.

Cindi will be missed and her kindness, empathy, and remarkable ability to listen compassionately will always be remembered. She was responsive, dependable, knowledgeable, easy to work with, and very dedicated. She was determined to do her absolute best no matter what she worked on. Though her health curtailed her activity, it did not diminish her efforts to make the world a more equitable place.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held on January 11, 2025, from 2 to 5 p.m. with a time of remembrance at 4:00 p.m. at Aspire, 777 Aspire Drive, Clinton, TN 37716. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to STAR (rideatstar.org), or Friends of Literacy (friendsofliteracy.org).