In Memory: Aunt Cindy and the Spirit of Adventure

We’ve met some incredible people through the winery over the years- some of which have become dear friends. There’s also been countless folks who are driving through and we meet them once, learn an interesting story, then they head down the road not to be seen again, but hopefully take a nice little memory with them.

Then there are the folks who have cheered us on since the very beginning. Some of these are lifelong friends, some are family, many are both. Our Great-Aunt Cindy was one of the strongest members of this latter camp. Her and her family (The Robinson’s) would come to the winery when they’d visit from Texas and continually ask our mom about progress when they were back home. Cindy cared about our vineyard and winery though because above all, she cared about us. Here’s a picture of her and her husband (Eric Robinson) and all of their kids and grandkids visiting the winery a few years back:

When Asher and I were kids, it was always an adventure when Cindy came to town- you just never knew what she’d want to do or where we would end up. She was famous for having ideas for about 70 hours-worth of activities in a 48-hour timeframe. One time in 2016 when Katy and I were visiting their family in Georgetown, TX, Cindy was taking us into Austin and nearly slammed on the breaks going down the interstate because she happened to see a “wine tasting” sign and knew we’d be onboard for such a thing. That was Cindy- every hour and every minute of every day was an adventure.

Cindy was born to our great-grandparents (Edmund and Alyce Bauer) and was the youngest of their three children. Astute readers will recognize the name “Edmund” as it’s his namesake from where we have Jesse Edmund and Jonah Edmund. Our grandfather (and Beth’s dad) was Larry Edmund Bauer, the oldest of the three, with Jim Bauer being the middle child. These three kids- Larry, Jim, and Cindy were all born near the exact same date in June with nearly a decade between each successive child. It’s no exaggeration to say that Cindy brought adventure into the family from the day she was born. Larry (18 years older) was married shortly after Cindy was born and Larry and his wife, Joan, had their first child, Beth Bauer- a mere 4 years after Cindy was born. So, Cindy was much more like an older sister to our mom than she was an aunt. The stories and memories our mom has and the place Cindy holds in her heart makes the last couple weeks so very, very difficult for her.

Our Great-Aunt Cindy passed away on December 30, 2025. Her adventures here on earth came to an end and our family is saddened to lose this optimistic spirit that’s been a constant joy in our lives. With a touch more cosmic coincidence (although we don’t really believe in coincidence around here), she passed away one day before the date of her brother Larry (December 31, 2009), and they shared the same birthday- June 20. Coincidence? Nope.

Our “Lakehouse” wine label features a depiction of our Grandpa Larry and Grandma Joan’s cabin on the Lake of the Ozarks and the description on back features a short poem that alludes to “making memories”. This was one of my grandpa’s favorite mottos in life and I will always remember the first time Cindy read that label she teared up thinking about her brother. I didn’t have to explain it to her one bit, she knew. We have some absolutely wonderful memories of our Aunt Cindy and like her son Seth told me after she passed- the memories are amazing- it just would have been nice to have more. More adventures, more memories.

As we grieve our great aunt, we will cherish the memories. Fortunately, we have places in the vineyard where she was here and helped us plant vines. The picture below is of Cindy and our mom planting St Vincent vines- named after St Vincent- the patron saint of winegrowers. Wine is a mixture of farming, faith, and adventure- just a few of Cindy’s finest qualities.

When we see the cycle of bloom, fruit, and dormancy in these vines- we will always remember Cindy helped plant these and just like a vines cycle of growth, sleep, and rebirth- her adventure has not ended. We press on here on earth in the full confidence that she is taking part in the ultimate reunion, the ultimate adventure.