Cindy Lea Duffy
On January 10th, 2024, Cindy Lea Duffy passed away at the age of 56. Cindy’s passing marks the end of a nearly two-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Cindy was born on April 11, 1967, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where she spent her life with her family in the hometown she cherished. At the age of 16, while working at Tucker’s Hamburgers, Cindy met John, the love of her life. They married on May 20, 1989. Soon after, their first child, Melinda, was born, followed by their other two children, Cathryn, and Andrew. Being the ever-ambitious family, in between caring for young Melinda and Cathryn, working their day-jobs, and planning their growing family, Cindy and John personally built the home in which Cindy would spend the rest of her life.
Family meant everything to Cindy. Being a fervent baseball fan, Cindy rarely missed a Brewers game. Attending as many games as possible was a cherished family tradition, especially any games featuring bobblehead giveaways. Cindy’s dedication was such that she and her family would line up as soon as possible to make sure they secured the best merchandise, prior to passionately cheering on the Brewers with her family.
Disney also held a special place in Cindy’s heart. Every summer she embraced the opportunity to travel to Disney World or take a Disney cruise with her family. She loved the excitement of the rides and the relaxation of being at sea, but most of all she loved seeing the smiles on her children’s faces.
Cindy was never one to give up or let any illness stand between her and the time she had with her family. In the summer of 2019, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and immediately began treatment. With her family’s unwavering support and her resilience, Cindy was able to triumph over leukemia and send it into complete remission. In the spring of 2022, even after Cindy recovered from leukemia, she experienced increasing muscle weakness. That is when she received her second diagnosis, one of ALS. Still in the face of her new diagnosis, she dedicated every remaining moment of her life to her family, ensuring each one of them knew the depth of her love. She would still make family events, dinners, and any other opportunity to spend time with her children and grandchildren. The proudest days of her life were when she met
her grandchildren for the first time. Nothing would get her more excited than to have them come visit her. The simple pleasure of sitting in her living room watching her grandchildren play with the new toys that awaited them filled her with far more joy than all those Disney cruises and Brewers games.
Cindy is survived by her loving husband, John; her daughter Melinda (Derek) along with Cindy’s granddaughter Eleanor; her daughter Cathryn (Logan) along with Cindy’s grandson William; and her son Andrew (Tania). Cindy is also survived by her parents, Mike and Christine Weimer, her brother Jim Weimer (Wendy), her niece Marisa Nachtrab (Jake), her nephew Josh Weimer (Maddy); and her beloved family and friends.
Visitation will be held from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Thursday, January 18, 2023, at Church of Peace, 158 S. Military Ave. in Fond du Lac. The funeral service will follow, beginning at 6:00 PM with Rev. Stephen O. Stepp officiating. A private burial will be held in Rienzi Cemetery the following day.
In lieu of flowers, Cindy’s family kindly requests donations to the ALS Association in Cindy’s memory, so that together we can help bring hope and comfort to others living with ALS.