Obituary of Rachel Hefling

Rachel Hefling passed away peacefully at her home in Estey’s Bridge, New Brunswick on Dec 31, 2025. Born on April 23, 1966, in Newton, Kansas (USA) to Jim Hefling and Anne (Pennington) Simon, Rachel was a special soul who moved through the world with grace, strength, and kindness that deeply touched everyone who knew her. She lived many “lives” and those varied experiences allowed her to relate to and connect with people from all walks of life, becoming a beacon of hope and possibility for many.

Rachel worked as a Behaviour Analyst with  the Anglophone West School District where her patience, creativity, and unwavering belief in children made her exceptional at her work and life long student of her craft.

Outside of work, Rachel found joy in her deep love of nature which included bird-watching, bee keeping, kayaking, and fossil hunting. She loved spending time with friends and family and reading about anything that caught her interest - which was nearly everything – as she had a profound love of learning about all aspects of the world. Rachel is survived by her husband, Augustin Dukuze; her son, Aaron Hefling; her daughter Allie Dukuze (Jesse Torry); her honorary daughter Erin Walsh; her grand children, Trey, Trinity, Teah Hefling; and her brother Richard Hefling (Shelly Hefling).

She loved reading and sharing her thoughts. Her last message could be summarized in the following words that she would have made her own:

“Be calm, be true, be quiet. I watch over you. Rest in My Love. Joy in the very Beauty of Holiness. You are Mine. Deliverance is here for you, but Thankfulness and Joy open the gates. Try in all things to be very glad, very happy, very thankful. It is not to quiet resignation I give My blessings, but to joyful acceptance and anticipation. Laughter is the outward expression of joy. That is why I urge upon you Love and Laughter”.

There will be neither visitation nor service, however, the family will host a Celebration of Rachel’s beautiful life starting at 1:00pm on July 25, 2026 at Killarney Lake Lodge in Fredericton, NB.

Given her deep belief in humanity for good, donations in her memory may be made to a charity for a woman and her children that she was supporting in Guatemala at gofund.me/cbe2cb806 , or a local charity organization that helps individuals with autism at autismconnections.ca, or to a charity of the donor’s choice. Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com.