Cindy Lee McKnight (née Nunez), 66, of Durango, Colorado, passed away on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, after a long and heroic battle with cancer. Cindy was “all in” with everything she did, whether raising her sons, building a beautiful home at the start of the Colorado Trail, or serving as the family matriarch. Loving, energetic, independent, highly intelligent, and fiercely loyal to family and friends, she hosted Thanksgivings many cherish, filled with love, good food, laughter, and tears.

Born in Florida and raised in California, Cindy moved to Colorado to study geology and made it her home. A gifted athlete, she downhill ski raced on her college team and loved hiking and horseback riding. A defining moment of her athletic career was the 1981 Pro Ski Tour dual downhill at Purgatory Resort, the first of its kind in ski racing history. In the ’80s and ’90s she coached hundreds of children at Purgatory and, as director of the local Buddy Werner Ski Program, was pivotal in its success. She also loved and excelled at cooking, entertaining, decorating, and gardening.

Though she built a successful professional life, Cindy’s greatest achievement was raising her sons, Kyle, Ian, and Tyler. She was the powerhouse behind their careers in skiing, baseball, skateboarding, and football, and the boys helped build the family home. All three grew into great men, partners, and fathers.

She was preceded in death by her beloved son, Ian McKnight; her mother, Gail Ruffin; and her sister, Michelle Nunez.

Her legacy lives on in her son Kyle, his wife Kara, and their daughter Helen; her grandson Hayes, Ian’s son; her son Tyler, his wife Kate, and their son Cooper; her father and his wife, Paul and Kirsty Nunez; her sisters Shari Nunez and Lisa and her husband Mikhail; her brother Michael, his wife Colleen, and their daughter Chloe; her nephews Nolan, his wife Veronica, and their children Luna and Bodi, and Jordan and his daughter Marybelle; and her niece Isabelle, Michelle’s daughter. She was looking forward to welcoming two new babies to the family this February.

Our beautiful Cindy will be deeply missed. Please refer to the link below for more details on her memorial.

Memorial Details