Cindy Leighton

Born September 5, 1956 to Audrey (Emig) and LeRoy Kandel, Cindy (Kandel) Leighton grew up in Gahanna, OH with her loving mother and older sister, Dianna "Susie" Reiselt. Cindy graduated from Gahanna-Lincoln High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising from The Ohio State University in 1981. Her love of retail and fashion sparked her career as a District Manager at Foxmoor specialty store, which took her to Toledo, OH in 1985.

It was in Toledo where she met her husband, Ray. They resided in Lambertville, MI and were married for 18 years. Ray and Cindy have two daughters, Margeaux (31) and Meredith (28), who Cindy was incredibly proud of - they were her world. During their childhood, Cindy spent her time raising the girls and wore many hats: outstanding cook, animal lover, gardener, community volunteer, and family business manager, but her favorite title was always Margeaux and Meredith's Mom.

Cindy returned to work in 2006 as a Retail General Manager, which took her back to Columbus, OH in 2013. There she enjoyed being near Meredith, who went to college at Capital University and remained in Columbus after graduation, along with frequent visits from Margeaux who built her career around the world after graduating from Georgia Tech. Cindy and her girls enjoyed trips to Hilton Head Island, New York City, Atlanta, and Toronto. There was nothing Cindy loved more than spending every moment she could with her two "dollies" and dog, Paddington, her "baby with fur."

It was in 2016 when Cindy was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS), which sadly and rapidly took hold of Cindy's physical abilities. Cindy showed strength in working to maintain whatever independence she could, with Meredith serving graciously as her full-time caretaker each step of the way.

After a hard-fought battle, Cindy was freed from MS on June 14, 2020 when she passed away peacefully at the Kobacker House in Columbus, OH. She can now enjoy in heaven the things she loved in life, including simple joys like talking, laughing, and giving hugs, which MS took from her.

There are simply not enough words to describe how loved Cindy was, how dearly she will be missed, and how fortunate Margeaux and Meredith feel to be the daughters of the best Mom ever.

To honor Cindy and fight towards achieving a world free of MS, Margeaux and Meredith will be riding in Bike MS as Cindy's Cyclists this July. If you would like to join or donate to the team, please visit http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/CindysCyclists. Remote / virtual participation welcome!

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Open House Picnic from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Wexner Community Park Pavilion

7600 Swickard Woods Blvd

New Albany, OH 43054