For almost nine decades, Lee’s Restaurant has been the iconic place to dine out in Kilmarnock. For nearly two of those decades, patrons were able to experience the skill and proficiency, but most of all the abundant kindness, of Cindy Abbott, who served there greeting everyone, unflappable in any situation, and sharing her welcoming personality with the gamut of individuals who came through the door.
For regulars, Cindy was one of the fixtures of their meal. She was a storehouse of information about local events and the traditional lore of the Northern Neck that she had absorbed throughout her life, and that she shared willingly with her listeners. Cindy made dining all the more interesting for diners by her presence hosting their meal.
Cindy took a brief break from the restaurant in 1989, when she and her husband, David, had their first son, Jason. Four years later, while serving dinner to my Good Wife and me, she told us that she was expecting again. I asked how long she would be out, and she replied that this time she would not be returning to the restaurant, prompting me to ask what she would be doing next.
She said she was going to do children’s daycare in her home. At that time my Good Wife and I were expecting the first B.E., and I immediately responded asking Cindy if she would take care of our baby. She seemed taken aback, but said yes, causing me to tell her that she would have her first customer.
When we left the restaurant, as soon as we got to our car, my Good Wife asked how I knew Cindy would be able to care for children. I answered that for all the years I had seen Cindy managing the variety of customers at Lee’s, I had learned that she could handle any situation that she confronted, and that she would be fine with children.
In August, Cindy’s son, Ryan, was born, and the following month, the first B.E. arrived. A few months later, Cindy called to say that she was ready to accept children, and we set a date for her first time with the B.E., thereby beginning a new phase in our relationship with Cindy, a period that lasted until the onset of the school years.
The Abbott home and yard on the water were a bucolic setting for daycare. A year and a half later the arrival of the Younger B.E. augmented our presence at Cindy’s. As time passed and David’s health began to fail, he stopped driving his tractor trailer and stayed home with Cindy, caring for the children, all of whom were enthralled by his attention.
After her own children went off to school, Cindy closed her childcare operation, and took a position at Walmart, where her innate abilities quickly moved her into a managerial role. Sadly, during those years, David passed on after a lengthy period of declining health, and three years ago, Cindy’s own health caused her to have to stop working.
As her situation increased, she lost her eyesight and was confined to her home. She remained her cheerful, optimistic self, keeping up with the world around her, and putting forth a positive face on whatever befell her. This past weekend, Cindy died at home at the age of 63, leaving a great void in the lives of those who knew her.
Cindy Abbott represented the finest flowering of the Northern Neck in our time. Whether working at Lee’s, or caring for children, or managing inventory, not to mention people, at a big store, Cindy always was the same. She had an extraordinary talent for recognizing what she could do and doing it always in the best way possible. Cindy lived an exemplary life, and in the process, made other lives richer and fuller.
Cynthia “Cindy” Franklin Abbott, May 20, 1963–September 13, 2026. R.I.P.
