Cynthia "Cindy" Sue Burgess

Cindy was born on March 1, 1956 in Akron, Ohio, to Richard and Janet Rhoads in Kent, Ohio. She and her siblings laid the foundation for their family centered focus, that later would blossom to include children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews, and an ever-expanding network of friends in Ohio and Florida.  She attended Kent State, and from there she transitioned to work as an Executive Assistant in the Graduate School of Business then with the Department of Education.  Her real career was working to make sure that her daughter, Erica, could attend and graduate from Kent State. 

She is survived by husband, Thomas Burgess; daughter, Erica (Greg) Loeser; parents, Richard and Janet Rhoads; step-children, Joshua Burgess, Brandon Burgess, Kara (Joe) Sharpnack and Ryan (Kate) Pinkus; grandchildren Max Loeser, Grace Loeser, Paige Loeser and Jayce Baldwin; step-grandchildren, Andrew Francis, Rylen Sharpnack, Gabriel Sharpnack, Aviana Turos, Nadia Turos, Ally Pinkus and Mila Pinkus; sister, Jill (Eric) Rhoads; and brother, Mark (Debbie) Rhoads.

Cindy was just such a sweet, loving, and active person, loving to do running races, completing two marathons and organizing the Kent Fest races.  She loved to sew and was the official hairdresser and dress/costume arranger for the girls, for dance, proms, weddings and showers, and loved to do pumpkin carvings for Halloween and fashion our costumes for parties.  By far her specialty was Christmas – decorating, parties, spending time with Tom, the parents, children, and 11 grandchildren – the house was not complete without multiple decorated trees.  Fortunately, she loved boating with Tom every weekend in Lake Erie and more recently in Bonita Springs, where they wintered and served as the preferred destination for all the entire family.  Cindy and Tom were blessed with the ability to do lots of travel that took them to Paris, Italy, Great Britain, and the Caribbean. 

But the real magic of Cindy was the wide-open welcoming arms that opened everywhere.  Her kindness, genuineness and love were always front and center apparent.  Such a loving caring wife, always ready to head off on another adventure, she will be missed, but leaves behind a lasting legacy of treasuring each day and loving completely.  Cindy married her sweetheart Tom in a glorious Portage Lakes beachfront wedding ceremony with family, children, and lots of friends.  She loved to laugh, and giggle, always ready for a holiday to decorate and celebrate, welcoming social gatherings and parties. 

The staff at Maplewood at Twinsburg were tremendous in genuine caring and engagement with Cindy, and they boosted our spirits along the way.  She will miss deeply Kate, Susan, and Nicole, as well as the many other close friends and companions she met there.    

Calling hours will be held 1:00 PM- 3:00 PM Saturday, September 19, 2020 at Bissler & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, where Private Services will follow.  In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Association for Frontal Temporal Degeneration, 2700 Horizon Drive Suite 120, King of Prussia, PA 19406. Services in care of Bissler & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, 628 West Main Street, Kent, OH 44240.

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