Above all, she loved to laugh. A tragic accident took her from us far too soon. Candace Sue Hudgins of Hampton, Virginia was born in 1957 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but this midwestern girl found her way to Virginia in the late 1970's and fell in love with the ocean.

She served her country in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Germany. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University in 1988. She was an excellent cook and dabbled in catering. She became a master gardener. For many years Candy managed Alexanders on the Bay, Virginia Beach. Most recently she worked as a hostess at Byrd's Restaurant, Newport News.

Her true gift was her kind spirit. Hospitality was not a job, it was who she was. She had the biggest heart, always putting others first. Everyone who met her loved her.

She is survived by both her parents: Alice J. Olson of Crystal Lake, IL and William C. (Janeth) Therkelsen, Fort Wayne, IN; her husband, Henry Hudgins, Hampton, VA; her daughter Jillian (Tyler) Vandegrift of Newport News, VA, and granddaughters Tryne Elise and Maisie Kalyn, the loves of her life; her stepdaughter Elizabeth (Nate) Newton, Ipswich, MA and their daughter Dottie. She was beloved by her siblings: Dawn (Michael) Hogue, Sheboygan, WI; Phillip (Kathy) Therkelsen, Fort Wayne, IN; Jennifer (Craig) George, New London, WI; David Therkelsen, Fort Wayne, IN; Kelly (Don) Mockler, Fort Wayne, IN, and Kristina (Scott) LeMoine, Crystal Lake, IL. Her eight nieces and nephews thought she was amazing.

Thank you to the entire staff at Riverside Regional Medical Center for their kindness. The family was served by R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, Hampton, where Candy worked for eight years. A private gathering of friends and family will be held at Hampton Yacht Club, Friday, July 31.

To honor Candy, the family will be buying trees from the Arbor Day Foundation to be planted in Superior National Forest in her name. If you would also like to donate trees in Candy's memory, go to https://shop.arborday.org/trees-in-memory .