Dear Heather,

Do you know that you are always the first person I want to tell my life updates to, be it good or bad news?

You are our family diagnostician when it comes to medical care. Oh that’s a sprain, oh that’s a bad burn, oh that bone might be broken. No, I don’t think you need to take Rebecca to the emergency room for running into the wall. You have always been there to advise, instruct and comfort. 

Rebecca always called you the Switzerland of our family. You never took sides. What a great quality!

You loved your Beatles, especially Paul. I still see you with all of your 45 rpm records constantly playing on the hi-fi. Then you got your stereo for your birthday. We learned every word to every song, didn’t we?  Memories of The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Jackson Browne, Three Dog Night, Janis Joplin and all the rest. Hours and hours we would listen to music. Of course we ended up with very similar tastes in music. How could it be otherwise?

My cohort in crime growing up. My protector. My confidante. You always followed your own internal compass. You didn’t follow others, but made your own rules. 

I watched your heartaches, your many, many successes. I got to grow up with you. And I had the pleasure of seeing you become a fantastic mother, a fabulous grandmother and a wonderful aunt. 

I feel you are with me, but I still miss you every single day.  So much more to say.  We will pick up where we left off next time I see you. 

Love you so much, Sis. Til we meet again. 
 Debbie



One of my favorite memories of grandma is when she took me on a weekend getaway to Catalina Island. She organized the entire trip to do everything that I wanted to do. We fed fish through a glass bottom boat, went in a submarine and ate delicious seafood. She was always kind and willing to listen to your hearts troubles. She was supportive of anything I wanted to do. She was my best friend and she will forever be missed. I love you grandma. 

My Mom was such a kind and selfless person. She liked going on adventures. Whether it was camping at the beach with our Girl Scout troop, panning for gold with our family in Colorado, riding a coal engine train on a narrow age railway or the countless of adventure she took many of us on she wanted to live life. Like that saying goes, I don’t live to work, I work to LIVE… to vacation, to play. She loved sharing educational opportunities woven in with beautiful scenery and cool stuff to do and see. 
Many may or may not know she also loved her family above and beyond all. She was the protector of her little sister, Deborah, even before they started school. Then of me her baby girl, Then caring for her mother, then her father,  She loved and lived for helping to take care for her 2 ‘boys’ the grandsons. Gregory My Love and William Darling. She lived for those boys. 
My mom was my best friend, the smartest person I knew, my scapegoat when needed and safety net more times then I can count.  It was always us. We were a team. We did everything together. Dance, Girl Scout from Brownies to Cadets, Band, Marching Band, Disney, Travel, and more. I have never spect a Christmas or Birthday without her. 
My heart is broken.  I miss her so very very much.  My life will go on, but it will never BE THE SAME. No matter what I do, I know she will be with me, and all of us in some small way in every upcoming event, birthdays, weddings, Great-grand children,  vacations, family dinners, bingo, Skip-Bo, UNO, 21 and the New Year Eve Poem game.
My faith assures me she is with our Heavenly Father, her Mom and Dad and other loved relatives preparing the way for me, Jason, Deb, and the kids to join her. She is free from pain. Moving freely from one place to another light as a feathers. So much that I want to say, but let’s just keep it simple. I love you so much Mom and I miss you like crazy. What helps is knowing that we will be together again. 
I love you MOM, 
your Deanna


I was fortunate enough to meet Heather when I started work at LVMPD.  She was such a breath of fresh air.  Here was this really special person who used a walker but somehow was always busy traveling and having adventures.  Whether it was going to Disneyland or Disneyworld again or visiting a new place, she was always game to go and see everything and had lots of great stories and pictures to share with me.
The thing that I remember the most about Heather was her love for her family.  She had such a special and wonderful relationship with each of her family members.  It was so wonderful to hear how Heather loved each one of her family members.  She was so happy when her grandson moved back to  live close to the family.  She got to renew her friendship with the boys and was so pleased to get to know Jennet better.
When Heather retired, we would still get together for lunch.  By that time she wasn't driving anymore so Deanna would have to drive her to meet me.  She would drop Heather off and leave to entertain herself until we were finished.  I said of course Deanna should join us, she shouldn't be banished but Heather was having none of it.  She said I'm tired of talking to her, I want to talk to you.  So we would have a great time sharing stories of our lives.  The last lunch we had she told me that she had terminal cancer.  I asked her how she felt about that and she shared that she was worried about everyone else.  She said she was okay with dying, but didn't want it to be hard on her loved ones.  I told her that of course it would be because they loved her and were going to miss her terribly.  I know I miss my friend.  

Heather,
Deanna contacted me, asking if I'd like to share a memory or comment. I didn't know what I would say, but it's amazing how memories long forgotten reveal themselves. I just returned from vacation, so here I am now at the eleventh hour to share some memories and comments regarding the privilege I had of knowing you as my second cousin. The earliest memories I have were how excited I would get knowing as a child my family was going to your home to visit. If I heard we were going to Barbara and Mac's or Heather and Debbie's, I didn't dread the day, as compared going to other relatives houses. You and Debbie always seemed to go out of your way to entertain us younger kids without complaint.  Knowing you as an adult, Linda always pointed out, after a visit with you, Debbie and Deanna, how much all of us laughed. You always had a way of making others laugh, through the way you talked and told stories of our crazy family. Being adopted at birth. I always believed I was part of the family. You always accepted me as flesh and blood, and I am deeply grateful to you for that. I don't know if you remember one Thanksgiving at Maxine and Reed's, I must have been 20, when you, Debbie, Mike and myself were sitting at the table, somewhat bored. I mentioned a new drink and off we went to the store. I paid and Debbie purchased. We returned to the house and began sharing shots of vodka, Martinelli's sparkling cider and a sprinkle of cinnamon, while the adults were in another room. Tasted just like an apple pie. This was at a time when all of us were finding our way. You and Debbie found your way sooner than I did. Another time, I was a bit younger, you stayed with us while our parents were away. You would relax in the evening with a couple shots of chilled Tequila. I'm sorry, living so close to one another, we didn't visit more often. I will always regret that. You were always a joy to be around. Thank you for being my cousin. I will miss you and your laugh. Love, Gary

Heather joined the Metro Payroll Family in 2012 and graced us with her stories of her daughter, grandchildren, and love of Disney.  I will always remember her story of her favorite spot at Disney California Adventure, sitting by the colorful mosaic tile wall. Although we weren't able to go together while she was still here, I know it was a sign from Heather when I ran into Deanna later at Disneyland. Heather, you are greatly missed by your team in Payroll, and I will think of you every time I see your wall.

Whenever I saw or spoke to Heather she was always laughing and had a huge smile on her face.  She was very kind and positive person.  I know she will be extremely missed by her loving family.

To my Heather Jane,

Words cannot express how much I love and miss you every single day. How beautiful is it that we have the faith that we will be together for time and eternity? I know that you parting from being with me is just a "see you later." I will see your smile again one day when we are reunited. 

It was because of you that my testimony of the Gospel has grown to be what it is today. We had so many wonderful talks about life and what our trials meant for our eternal salvation. Because of these experiences together, it does not surprise me that when you took your last breath, I was blessed to be the one to see your spirit leave. I will never forget that moment. You knew of my fears, and you calmed them by showing me the beauty of crossing through to the other side of the veil. Thank you, Heather.

I'm having a difficult time not hearing you say "groovy" or "huh" every time I said something to you and had no idea that I was speaking to you. I miss your facial expressions and the crinkle of your nose when you would laugh with me. Marriage doesn't matter; you were, are, and always will be MY grandmother - My Heather Jane. 

I can't close this out without telling you how much of an impact you have had on your grandson. He is the most loving and genuine soul, and I am blessed to call him my husband. He reminds me of you in several ways, but even more, the love we have for you will never fade away. I promise you that I will take care of him, cherish him, love him, and make sure that his exaltation is my number one priority. I will not let you down; I will always be his safe place. "Gregory Darling" is safe, and we will see you again as a family once more!

I love you, Heather. I love you so much, and even though my heart breaks, you being out of pain and happy with your family on the other side of the veil makes the tears a little less unbearable. Keep a seat warm for me. I'll be seeing you! I LOVE YOU!

Love, Jeannette 

I loved Heather's smile!  Every time I interacted with her or spoke with her, she was always so pleasant and her smile was beautiful!  
I remember talking with her while she was sitting in Debbie's car not long after she had been diagnosed with cancer.  She was returning from a doctor's appt, and she had such a positive outlook and was so hopeful.  That left an impression in my heart of the importance of a positive attitude. 

One thing I know for certain is how much Heather loved her family and enjoyed being with them--especially the grandsons.  It was a tender mercy from God that they both ended up back here in Henderson for the last part of Heather's life.  I know she was very grateful for that and spent as much time with them as possible.  Families truly are forever.  We love the McCandless and Wright families!

I have many fond memories of Heather. Most of them have to do with traveling. She loved to explore. She taught me to can tomatoes and nectarines. We had a blast that weekend. She came to my house and stayed in "the camper/her apartment" and took care of our animals even though she was allergic to most of them (and not very fond of the dog). Always giving and loving any adventure. Heather will be missed but has left us with many fond memories.

Love, Liz

Debbie and Deanna,
It's hard  to believe  it's been two and a half months. I am sorry that I was not able to attend Heather's Memorial. She is missed. 
Debbie, I remember visiting you in California. We all went to the Beach.  Our parents told us we could walk on the and look for shells but, we were not to get wet. Of course we were soaked by the end and our parents weren't very happy with us. 
I always looked forward to your visits! I loved doing crafts that my Mom had for us to keep us out of mischief.
Love to you and your families,
Cousin Pam

I hope she went peacefully, surrounded by lots of family love. May you be comforted by knowing of the Plan of Happiness. 
Helen

What stands out to me when I think of Heather, is first and foremost, her love for her daughter, then of course followed by her love for her family.  It was so evident to me, even when I was young.  She adored her daughter, and loved being a Mom, which of course spurred the same love in Deanna, for HER boys and the family.  A lot of what I knew about Heather and this part of our family, was thru my Grandma, Maxine.  She'd share fun and fond memories of her sister Barbara, Mac, and their girls, and boy oh boy did my Grama love her sister!  I think the single, most fun memory I cherish, was our one special day we had at Disneyland together!  We had the BEST time, all together!  I can see us walking around the park together, lots of laughing, and just enjoying each other.   

I know she is, and will always be terribly missed!  Family, you are in my heart and prayers! 

xox

LeeAnn

We moved next door April 2000, we were extremely lucky to have great neighbors.  Truly sorry for your loss. 

Your mom was such a light in this world. She was so proud of you and your family. She was always beaming with pride, especially when supporting her grandsons. Please send the boys my love. Prayers that fond memories serve as a source of comfort to you during this difficult time.  ❤️💙

Omg, I am so sorry for your loss. I didn't know she was sick. I have many many memories of her & Debbie McCandless (my best friend when we were younger) & their parents. Spent a lot of time with them & Heather & my mom were close friends, so we all were close. She will be missed greatly. My thoughts & prayers are with her family & friends.

Judy Swensen Vincent
It truly was such a beautiful service and tribute for your mom, Deanna❤️. I know she’s watching over you and your dear family and Debbie’s. I’m thankful we were there and could be a part of it. Sending my love and know I’m thinking of you.

Deanna, I’m so sorry for your loss. I remember your mom well..., from Girl Scouts to sleep overs and birthday parties. I have fond memories of all of it and fun times we had. I’m keeping you all in my prayers!🙏

Heather was a tremendously loving and proud mother and grandmother. It was such a pleasure to get to know her through many years of concerts at Miller MS. She was always excited to hear her grandkids play, arriving early to get a great seat, and staying after for photos. Our family sends our love and prayers for comfort and peace.

Heather has been a positive and supportive influence in my life.  She was the “cool” Mom in High School.  I remember how she would take us to Disneyland all the time.  We had “Summer Nights” passes and she would take us to go see Polo perform at the Tomorrowland Terrace.  Deanna and I would run around the park and she would hold seats for us for the shows when Polo would play.  

I think we lived at Disneyland we were there so much.  Heather even helped me get a job at Disney Interactive.  We would carpool to the offices in Glendale.  We would go to the Disney Studio Lot to have lunch at the commissary and sometimes see some of the Disney stars.  Heather loved Asia cuisine.  The introduced me to Thai food, and Japanese dishes.  We would go for Asia Cuisine at least 2-3 days a week for lunch.  We went to much I had actually learned to properly hold my chopsticks 😊.

When Heather left Disney, she went to work For Sony at the Universal Lot.  Heather was always helping and looking out for all of us.  If it wasn’t for Heather and Deanna and their family I would have never made it out to Florida and Walt Disney World!  That was the best time I had ever had traveling🥰.

I remember one day on the Disney Studio Lot we saw some of the Disney Stars receive their “Disney Star” like they do on Hollywood Blvd when the famous people get their “Stars”.  We met and took pictures with Mary Costa.  It was amazing!! (Mary Costa was the voice of the animated classic, “Sleeping Beauty”) .  

I have not ever been able to think or see Disney without also thinking about Heather.  She is the best Mom, Friend, Co-worker, Mentor, Chauffeur, Promoter, and Influencer I could have!  Trust me when I say that she has always and forever will be apart of me and live in my heart. 

(There are just so many stories of all the adventures and things that I remember doing with my McCandless family).

🙏🏻XOXO❤️

When I think about Heather, I think of an amazing mother and friend.  I was blessed in high school to be best friends with Deanna and to have Heather as my other mom.  I learned so much from Heather, from how to move clothes from the washer to the dryer (you have to move them individually, or all your really doing is washing/drying a lump of fabric), to the importance of having “house keys” and “car keys” on different key chains (Disney of course).  Heather was always so supportive and was someone you could call at any time and she would be there.  An amazing problem solver and someone who always saw the possibilities—you just have to keep moving forward. Her love and devotion for Deanna, Debbie and Dad (Harold) was inspiring.  She did everything in her power to make all of Deanna’s dreams come true.  Now that I am raising my own teenagers, I find myself often thinking a lot of how Heather treated Deanna (and me) with such love and respect, giving us our space but always being there when needed.  
Heather was also my first roommate.  After Deanna and Jason were married, I lived in the house in La Habra while I was in college.  It will surprise no one that Heather was the first to offer a room to rent when I had a need.  As always, she was there to help.  
Her support was so important to me in high school and college.  Heather taught me to keep moving forward and don’t be afraid to do things your own 


I remember Heather and Deanna always together.  She supported and loved her family.  I think of her as a constant blessing to her children and grandchildren.

During one of my trips to Henderson to visit the Wrights, Heather graciously offered to drive me to see the Hoover Dam.  It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time together.  She and the Wrights always drove to California to help us celebrate our grandchildren’s special days.   She was a wonderful person and we were blessed to have known her.

I will always have fond memories of working with Heather in Cub Scouts.  We wrangled 9 active boys with a great deal of patience and humor.  I admired her "bag of tricks" that kept the activity rolling along.  She impressed me with how she kept those boys engaged.  I had a lot of fun working with her.  She was a classy lady that will forever be in my heart.

Heather and I brought up our daughters Diana and Deanna together.  I was co-leader for the Girl Scout troop where we had many camp outs and varied experiences! The girls were in band in different schools (LA Habra and Rowland) and Heather and I went to the different schools events and performances when we could. We all attended concerts at Disneyland and stood in line for the opening of Star Wars staying for hours with our wrist bands.there were trips to Apple Valley both before and after her parents moved there--what a change that was! I remember driving out there at nine at night with the extra key for the gate when somebody couldn't find theirs...
I remember how happy I was for her and Deanna to be able to go to Hawaii for Deanna's eighth grade graduation present!  Getting ready was a great experience!

The late night discussions and decisions on who and how we were going to attend all the girls' activities was heartwrenching at times but filfilling--we were two single mothers doing our best!
We went through daughters  childbirths and many hospital visits...
I was privileged to see you Heather in Henderson  both after you retired and later.
Thank you for the many years of friendship and companionship through our lives. Fun times!
Blessings on your journey
Love, 
Sharon 

As cousins, I remember many trips to the canyons in Salt Lake where we would picnic and skip rocks on the reservoir. She was always ready for fun and I will miss her spirit of adventure and her kindness.  Heather you left too soon but we will see each other again. 
Love, 
Your cousin Greg.

Heather was a true treasure. Her smile and sense of humor would lighten up any situation. She was devoted to her family and made others feel like they were part of her family. All who were lucky enough to get to spend time with her, realized her ability to bring joy and happiness. She was a wonderful woman and will be missed.

My most favorite memory of Heather is her daughter Deanna who married my nephew Jason.  Heather was fun to be around, she was loving and devoted to Deanna & Jason and spoiled her grandsons rotten as every grandmother should do.  She opened her home and heart to friends and family alike.  I loved her appreciation of good food, having fun and being able to laugh even through the hard times, and of course I can't forget her love of anything DISNEY that rivaled my own.  She will be sorely missed by her family and friends as she kept them close to her even when they were far away and she made sure they knew they were loved more than life itself.  

  

I remember Heather with a smile! I remember how she loved Disney and Disney stuff.   After visiting her home in Henderson it felt like you were leaving a Disney museum and the happiest place on earth.

Our family is praying  for her loved ones that they will find peace and cherish their memories.

Blessings of peace to all of you. I have many beautiful memories of Heather as a co-worker, a friend, a mother and a sister.  I knew her best as the sister of my special friend, Debbie.  It is wonderful  to share the belief that the promise of resurrection brings to believers.  Hugs to all of you.

Heather was a warm, kind, fun-loving person with a fine sense of humor and great devotion to her family.  She was loved and cherished by those that knew her, especially her family.   She will be sorely missed, by her family, by those who knew her, and by me.

Carolyn Edwards

OBITUARY

Heather McCandless

23 December, 1952 – 20 March, 2021

Palm Eastern Mortuary & Cemetery

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