Cindy Lou Horton

Cindy Lou Horton died unexpectedly in her sleep at home December 18, 2023 shortly after her sixty third birthday.

She was born Cindy Lou Pieper on December 5, 1960 to Mairl and Mary Lou Pieper in Denver, Colorado. She was the only daughter with four older brothers, two of which molested her through much of her teen years.

She graduated with pride as part of the Ranum High School Class of 1980. She dropped out of high school for a time to have her daughter, Jennifer. After Jenny was born, she balanced being a new mother, being a wife for a short time, a student and working a variety of part-time jobs to support her and Jenny, since her father would not. Her mother played an important role by helping to watch Jenny while she was at school or work.

Cindy met her future husband, Dennis Horton, at The Gold Rush Night Club in Lakewood, Colorado. She was to get married to another man, but called it off at the last second over concerns about how that person would treat Jenny. A friend suggested her and Cindy go out dancing at The Gold Rush to forget about what could have been. It was that night she met Dennis. Some may say the rest is fate after forty-three years!

Cindy and Dennis were wed on May 1, 1981 at a small ceremony in Westminster, Colorado. They started with very little and built their life together through lots of hard work by both of them. Daughter, Desiree, was welcomed into this world on November 13, 1982 and her sister, Michelle, was born exactly eighteen months later on May 13, 1984.

Cindy worked to raise three daughters while keeping house and home. When the three children were of school age, she was able to work as a school paraprofessional so that they knew where Mom was.

Once Jenny, Desi and Michelle were old enough for high school, Cindy decided to pursue a better paying line of work.  She acquired an Associate’s Degree in Massage Therapy at the Colorado School of Healing Arts while juggling house and home. It became a perfect fit for her kind, gentle ways of helping people. She made a very good portion of her income in tips as she listened to her clients’ wants and needs. She soon had a very loyal following at a variety of Metro massage locations. Cindy was laid off at her last massage employer due to state Covid mandated closures, and never went back.

Since about the age of thirty, Cindy had dealt with increasing back pain, enduring several back surgeries and a surgery to stabilize her neck. Each year has brought her increasing pain, though she hardly ever complained. She was contemplating another back operation that would result in a maximum sixty percent chance of some relief when she died.

Cindy and Dennis enjoyed traveling as much as they could. As an interesting hobby, she would collect sand or soil at each location they visited so that they could be sprinkled into her grave at burial. She also enjoyed dates with her husband, Dennis, bingo, lottery tickets, casino slot machines, artistic painting, roller skating, bargain and thrift stores. She was always there to help Dennis when he needed a hand working to maintain the house and cars.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mairl and Mary Lou; her mother and father-in-law; brother, Rick Pieper and granddaughter, Barbara Anne Gentry. She is survived by her loving family: husband Dennis and daughters: Jennifer (Thomas) Cooney, Desiree (Ryan) Sirowy, and Michelle (Dave) Sellers; brother Jack (Linda) Pieper; six grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Memorial donations may be made, in Cindy’s name, to the Alzheimers Association of Colorado.