Catherine Sinclair Boutin

AUBURN – Catherine Sinclair Boutin, 70, of Auburn, died on July 22, 2020, at the Androscoggin Hospice House, after a brief struggle with cancer.

Cathy was born on Oct. 4, 1949, to Raymond Blanchard Sinclair and Evelyn Bishop Sinclair. She graduated from Edward Little High School in 1967, before earning a B.S. in mathematics with a minor in German from the University of Maine. For the last 30 years, she worked as an educational technician in the special education programs at Western Avenue and Fairview Schools in Auburn. Cathy adored her school community. In fact, the only thing she loved more than teaching was being a mother and grandmother.

If Cathy had ever paused for long enough to record her philosophy of life, it might have read, “Always remember the three P’s: passion, potential, and people.”

Passion: Cathy found joy in watching her children and grandchildren explore their passions, and, whenever possible, she joined them as a fellow explorer. Over the years, she learned about heavy metal guitar, marine zoology, and the art of bargain shopping at Bath and Body Works. She studied Norwegian, wrote a storybook about trains, orchestrated a meeting with the Haitian ambassador, and imported gallium from Russia as a “Christmas surprise” for a possible budding chemist.

Cathy had a personal passion for sports. In 1983, she began a 20-year career as a “swimming mother,” logging hundreds of hours on poolside benches during practices and meets. Despite claiming to be a timid driver, she cruised the highways of the Northeast to attend championships as far away as Buffalo, New York, and Saint John, New Brunswick. Her grandchildren traded swimming for track, field hockey, and band, but her enthusiasm never waned. She spent every track meet scribbling times in the margins of her heat sheet, and she always saved an unwrinkled concert program for posterity.

Cathy eventually resumed her role as swimming mother in a different capacity when her son, Troy, became the coach of the Lewiston High School Swim Team. She regularly attended home meets at the YWCA pool, often accompanied by grandchildren, Colin and Ellen.

Potential: Cathy was an unapologetic believer in the adage: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” As a mother, she constantly provided her children with opportunities for self-discovery and development. This wasn’t always easy. For many years, Cathy struggled to pay the bills, but she still ensured that her children could participate in art and music lessons, summer drama, sports, and travel.

In the larger world, Cathy instinctively routed for the underdog, railing against the societal forces that kept people from realizing their full potential. She brought this attitude to her work with the most marginalized students, and she was not afraid to hold herself accountable when she thought she was becoming part of the problem. If she felt she was retreating from a “difficult” child, Cathy would challenge herself to uncover that student’s passions. She would then use this information to build a connection. Inevitably, conversations about Pokémon, the Patriots, and monster trucks turned into lessons on regrouping and the greatest common factor.

People: Above all else, Cathy loved and believed in people. She believed that everyone had a story she wanted to hear, and she always had a story to tell in return. Whenever she visited her daughter’s family in Virginia, Cathy traveled by bus or train. During the overnight journey, she struck up hours-long conversations with her seatmates, returning home with stories about a Ghanaian doctor visiting family in Providence, Rhodes Island, or a single mother from the Bronx preparing to start community college. After a few minutes of sharing an arm rest, she could sense a person’s passion and see their potential.

Cathy continues on in her children, grandchildren, and their families: son, Todd Marquis Boutin and wife Lori of Mechanic Falls, and their children, Colin and Ellen; son, Troy Boutin and partner Wendy Frayer of Auburn; daughter, Jill Boutin Sanders and husband Damon Sanders of Stafford, Va., and their children, Joseph, Joshua, and Elizabeth.

Cathy is survived by brother, Scott Sinclair and partner Michelle Adler of Naples; brother, Robert Sinclair and wife Amy of Greenville, S.C., and their children, Mya and Max; and former husband Donald Boutin of Lewiston. Cathy also leaves behind life partner, David Bergeron of Auburn, his son, Ben Bergeron of Springfield, Va., his daughter, Bethany Bergeron of Waterville, and their families.

The family will hold a celebration of life on September 27. They hope to include as many people as possible, given CDC guidelines. If interested in attending, please contact [email protected].