Cecilia M. Kaczmarek

Cecilia Marie Kaczmarek, 69, of Lafayette, Indiana, passed away peacefully at her home in Lafayette on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Cecilia was born on May 3, 1956 in Chicago, IL to Gertrude and Virgil Thiede. She grew up in Hammond, Indiana where she enjoyed a close knit family life which included grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles always close by.  Cecilia graduated from Hammond Indiana High School in 1974.  She attended Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana for her freshman year before returning home to begin her professional career in the mortgage banking business. She worked in Chicago for a year before deciding to move back to Lafayette and continue on with her career.  She endured the many ups and downs of the mortgage banking industry for over 30 years before taking early retirement in 2009 to do what she enjoyed most: travel the world.

Cecilia did all the things a supermom does to raise her son, Jeffery, while maintaining a full time job. She dedicated her life to raising him and was an active volunteer in all his academic, sport and social life activities; and of course a full time chauffeur.  Cecilia moved into the house she loved in Lafayette in 1986 where she would spend the rest of her life.  She loved gardening and you could always find her out in the yard tending to her flowers.

After retirement Cecilia spent time traveling, reading, visiting friends, and playing her new found sport pickelball. She loved to travel.  Some of the many places she visited included Paris, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Geneva, Prague, Germany and Scotland. She also loved to read and when she wasn’t traveling you could always find her at the public library checking out books and then curling up on the couch for a quiet afternoon of reading. She had a wonderful life filled with love, friendship, compassion and laughter.

Cecilia was preceded in death by her parents Virgil and Gertrude Thiede and her brother, William Thiede.  She is survived by her son, Jeffrey Kaczmarek of Victorville, California.

Family and friends are invited to pay their respects at the Soller-Baker Funeral Home in Lafayette, Indiana on Friday, March 20, 2026 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  A memorial service, officiated by Father Jeffrey Martin, will be held immediately afterward at 12:30 PM, followed by a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Wyandotte Branch of the Tippecanoe County Public Library, 5542 E 50^th South, Lafayette, IN 47905. Gifts can be mailed or made online at https://tcpl.lib.in.us/support-2/gift/.