Denis John Lavoie

Denis was born in Salem, Massachusetts June 20, 1963 to Roger and Jeanette Lavoie. He grew up in Burlington, MA. Denis lost his mother at a young age but was blessed with a loving stepmother, Ineke Lavoie, from age 12. Denis spent 2 years as a young teenager living with his family in Paris while his father had a temporary work assignment there.

He graduated from Boston University and started his career working for Lotus Development Corp. in Cambridge, MA, one of the first PC software companies, where he met his wife Cindy in 1988. They married in 1992 and moved to Seattle, where Denis worked for Microsoft Corp. He held several positions with other large software companies and then in 2003 he started his own company, Sound Web Solutions, an internet marketing agency, which he operated out of his home. Denis and Cindy have two sons: Thomas, age 22 and Lucas, age 18, both in college.

Denis loved the outdoors, was an avid gardener and a hiking enthusiast, as well as a scuba diver who loved to explore the ‘other world’ under the sea. He and Cindy summited Mount Rainier in 1993, and have enjoyed hiking throughout the Cascades and Olympic mountains in the years since. Denis also loved to travel and has seen many countries in Europe and enjoyed extended trips to Japan when he was single and to China with Cindy and the boys in 2006. He also enjoyed many camping trips with his family when the kids were growing up, in and around the beautiful Pacific Northwest and Canada.

Denis was a loving and devoted father to his boys, and his extended family was very important in his life. He and Cindy returned to the East Coast every summer for the last 25 years, to be with a large extended family on both sides, and to enjoy fun summer gatherings at Cindy’s family’s summer home in Rockport, MA.

Denis was known in his family and community as a compassionate man who was always looking for ways to perform acts of kindness. He found those opportunities everywhere – flowers and romantic surprises for Cindy, special gifts for people that hit just the right mark, thoughtful leadership of youth in his church community, compassionate care of elderly neighbors, inspiring mentorship of several young men in his life, and endless small acts of support and love to those around him.

Denis struggled with depression for the last six years; his last episode of depression led him to take his own life. He will be very sorely missed by all who knew him.