Candace Marie Walls

Candace Marie Walls, 74 passed away peacefully at her home in Thornton, CO on December 2, 2022. Candy was born in Council Bluffs, IA on May 26th, 1948, to parents Kenneth Lester and Ione Marie Walls. Her family moved to Colorado when she was a young girl and settled in Commerce City, CO where Candy and her big brother Jim grew up. She graduated from Adams City High School in 1966 and Cosmetology School in 1967. She married Orlo Petersen in November 1967 and they spent some time in Germany while Orlo was in the Army before settling in Hawthorne, CA where they had three children, Stephen Christopher, Shannon Marie and Stacey Renee. The family moved back to Colorado in 1979 and built a home in Thornton where they raised their children.

Candy was a hairstylist, homemaker, did daycare for the neighborhood kids, housecleaner, Girl Scout troop leader, she did sales at a pet store and later after she divorced in 2002, she took some college courses to learn computers and went to work at a bank as a personal banker. She made clothes for the kids when they were young and loved sewing and crafting, gardening, ceramics, and loved reading-especially romance novels. She was a lover of animals and had many dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, and fish tanks, even raising finches that she sold at the pet store where she worked. She loved decorating her house, especially for Christmas.

She struggled with Alzheimer's/Dementia for many years and had lost her ability to talk and care for herself, but she seemed to recognize all her friends and family that would come to visit her. Her devoted son Steve cared for her for many years before her passing at her home with some help from TRU Community Care Hospice in her final months.

Candy was preceded in death by her parents Kenneth and Ione. She is survived by her brother, James Walls (Robin) of Sterling, CO, her children Stephen Petersen of Thornton, CO, Shannon Petersen (Ron) of Englewood, CO, Stacey Pew (Walker) of Frederick, CO, and her beloved grandchildren Slater Pew, Shelby Pew and Piper Petersen, many cousins, her nephews and niece and many, many friends.

Candy was cremated and will be interred alongside her parents at Highland Cemetery in Northglenn, CO on May 20th, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to TRU Community Care Hospice, your local Humane Society or the Alzheimer’s Association.

A graveside service for Candace will be held Saturday, May 20, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM at Olinger Highland Cemetery, 10201 Grant Street, Thornton, Colorado 80229. Following the graveside service will be a celebration of life from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM at Olinger Highland Mortuary, 10201 Grant Street, Thornton, Colorado.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com for the Walls family.