Candy and her three siblings were raised solely by their mother, Elena.  At a young age, they moved to Los Angeles, CA in pursuit of a better life.  Her mother did not speak English but did everything she could to provide for her children.  This example of motherhood must have left a lasting impression on Candy.  Candy graduated high school in 1967 and began working.  One of her first jobs was as an administrative assistant at one of the prominent movie studios.  She would end up meeting her future husband while at work.  They would marry in 1973 and have two kids, one in 1979 and one in 1981.

In early January 1994, unemployed with two children, her husband died suddenly of a heart attack.  Less than 2 weeks later, Southern California was rocked by the Northridge Earthquake.  Candy was a newly widowed mother of two, with no water, no power, no gas, and no job – it must have seemed like the world was caving in on her, but she stayed strong for her boys.  In March of 1994, she underwent a medical procedure right before she started a new job.

While Candy could not give her children everything they wanted, she gave them more than they could ever need.  She sacrificed every day to make sure her children had food on the table, a roof over their head, had the best education and were able to participate in sports and other extra-curricular activities.  She lived for family and loved holiday gatherings, whether that was watching her grandkids get dressed up for Halloween, sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table or gathering around the Christmas Tree.  Candy was a magnificent cook, loved to bake and enjoyed painting.

Her life was reinvigorated when she became a grandmother and lived for each and every hug and kiss from her four grandchildren.  Throughout her life, Candy struggled with physical ailments, from Thyroid cancer to Takayasu Arteritis to Lymphoma.  Almost every day of her life presented a challenge or a new obstacle, but you would never know it by seeing her or meeting her.  In fact, anyone that met Candy for 5 minutes knew they wanted her in their lives for longer.

It wasn’t nearly long enough for anybody, as on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Candy was done fighting.  We hope that Candy’s legacy of fight and triumph in the face of adversity can be an inspiration for the other mothers who are battling and sacrificing every day for their families.