Candyce Dae Thomas

Candyce Dae Thomas passed away peacefully in her Alexandria, Virginia, home on August 15, 2025, having recently celebrated her 78th birthday with family. She will always be remembered as a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Candyce will be laid to eternal rest next to her late husband and one true love, Roy Stephen Thomas, in Whitepine Cemetery, Trout Creek, Montana, on September 20, 2025.

Candyce was born in Fargo, North Dakota, on August 4, 1947. Candyce and her sister, Joycelon Marie Andrus, were adopted and lovingly raised by James and Rufina Andrus, née Appert, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Candyce graduated from St Mary's Central High School in 1965 and continued her studies at Carroll College, the University of Montana, and Auerswald University in Seattle, where she earned a degree in business administration.

While at Carroll College, Candyce met and fell in love with Roy Thomas of Trout Creek, Montana, who was attending the University of Montana. They married on December 20, 1967, in Bismarck, and lived in Fort Walters, Texas, and Fort Rucker, Alabama, while Roy completed helicopter pilot training as a Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army before deploying to Vietnam in September 1968. Candyce gave birth to their only child, Troy Shawn Thomas, on January 19, 1969. A fleeting interlude in Hawaii soon followed, a dreamlike escape to "Blue Hawaii," where Roy cradled his young family before returning to duty.

Eight days after departing Hawaii, Roy's Huey helicopter was shot down on May 10, killing him and three crewmembers. Grace and strength defined Candyce's response to losing her husband at such a young age. She remained true to Roy for the remainder of her days, keeping his memory alive for her son and honoring his service by supporting Gold Star families and through a career with the U.S. Air Force. In the years that followed, Candyce raised Troy as a single mother and worked tirelessly in business administration while living in Burnsville, Minnesota, Springfield, Missouri, and eventually, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Her work became a kind of devotion. Candyce found her professional calling as Cultural Arts and Entertainment Director at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, a position she held for nearly 20 years until her retirement at age 70. She earned well-deserved recognition for bringing world-class music and theater to the cadets and surrounding community. To this cherished role, she combined her business acumen with a life-long passion for music, dance and theater.

Music animated her life. It started early, when she gave a recital at age 10 where she played a piano duet, "In the Saddle" by June Weybright. Joycelon and Candyce were also known for their dance routines and square dances during middle and high school. While living in Springfield, she sang with the acclaimed Mid America Singers for 16 years, including a performance at Carnegie Hall in 1990 with the Manhattan Philharmonic. Candyce also served on the Board of Directors for Springfield Little Theater.

Candyce's passion for the arts was one of many sources of joy and comfort. She also found peace in the Catholic mass. She delighted in tea time and travel with her many, many dear friends. She nurtured stunning flower gardens to the delight of neighbors. She mastered needlework and even built her own brick and mortar business - Serendipity Needlepoint - adorned with a logo designed by Joycelon. Purring kittens, especially Scamper, were a steady sound of solace for over 50 years.

Above all, Candyce's heart belonged to family. She stayed close to Roy's family in Montana, ensuring Troy knew his cousins and grandparents, Fred and Ada Thomas, as well as the land in the shadow of Whitepine mountain. She traveled to Port Angeles often to be with her sister, Joycelon, where lavender fields colored their reunions. Her roots in Bismarck and the family farm in Hazelton, North Dakota, often called her home to include several years caring for her mother, Rufina, before both moved to Colorado Springs. Candyce moved to Alexandria, Virginia, in 2021 to be near her son, his wife Paula, and their daughter Malin, whose presence lit her final years with the unique joy only a grandmother knows.

Candyce's life is an inspiring example of fortitude and devotion. She labored long, including a courageous 8-year battle with Alzheimer's. She showed how grief can be met with grace, how independence can be married to purpose, and how joy can be created from flowers, choirs, cats and the company of those we hold close. Even in her final days, Candyce danced and sang along to her favorite Broadway hits. Tears still welled whenever she heard the Elvis song Roy sang to her so long ago in Honolulu, "the night is young, and so are we...dreams come true in Blue Hawaii." May Candyce rest in eternal peace, and may her dream come true to be reunited in heaven with her mother, father, Joycelon and Roy.