Becky Winfield of Topsham, whose friends and family comforted during her illness by singing “You Are My Sunshine,” died at home Thursday of duodenal cancer. She was 53.

“She had a beautiful smile and it was almost infectious,” her husband, Rob Winfield, said Monday. “When I met her I listened to her talk and listened to her laugh and it was just so genuine.”

As her friends and family rallied to her side, they wore “Fighting for Becky” T-shirts during races or passed out stickers to friends to boost her morale. Winfield said he arrived at work one day and more than 100 colleagues had “Fighting for Becky” stickers on their hard hats.

“It was just for support, and to convince God that this woman was worth saving,” Winfield said of his wife, who was diagnosed almost two years ago. “We prayed every night. First we hoped for a cure, then we hoped for longevity and then we hoped for no pain.”

Winfield said his wife was buoyant despite the diagnosis, and frequently sang Bob Marley’s “Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright.”

“She was a sweetheart, all the way to the end,” he said. “She was just a beautiful lady.”

He said that almost as soon as she was diagnosed, Mrs. Winfield decided she would have a positive attitude.

“From the beginning, through the shock of it, we decided that every day is a good day. If you wake up and it was raining, or it was cloudy, it doesn’t matter. It was a good day,” he said.

Mrs. Winfield, who graduated from Morse High School in Bath, worked at Bath Iron Works for 27 years, most recently in after-market sales.

She was also active in Coastal Maine Great Dane Rescue and served on the group’s board of directors.

“She loved dogs,” Winfield said. She got involved in the rescue group after a colleague at work asked her about adopting a Great Dane and she talked to a neighbor about her Great Dane.

Winfield said one of her favorite things to do was spend time with her family, including talking to her grandchildren in South Carolina on Skype most evenings.

“She had a passion for her family. She loved her children and her grandchildren,” he said. She would play games with them and sing to them, and after she got sick, they would sing “You Are My Sunshine” to her.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Winfield is survived by her mother, Sara J. Nichols of Wiscasset; a son, Michael Moody, and his wife, Ashley, of Topsham; a daughter, Amy Corontzes, and her husband, Matthew, of Clemson, South Carolina; a stepson, Arthur Winfield, and his wife, Jess, of McKinney, Texas; brothers Terry Nichols and wife, Carla, of Waldoboro; Todd Nichols and wife, Elaine, of Westport Island and Randy Nichols and wife, Karen, of Wiscasset; and five grandchildren: Madison and Parker Moody, Kingston Winfield and Alexis and Adelyn Corontzes.

She was predeceased by her father, Willis Nichols, a half brother, Mark Nichols, and her first husband, Mike Moody.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Coastal Maine Great Dane Rescue. A celebration of her life will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at the Winfield home, 4 Homeplace in Topsham.

Noel K. Gallagher can be contacted at 791-6387 or at: ngallagher@pressherald.com

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