Candace’s Legacy

Candace Leigh Craven shared her light with everyone around her for almost 33 years.

She received her Bachelors in Mathematics, as well as a minor in Chemistry and Biology, from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington in 2012 and a Certificate of Data Analytics from the University of Denver in 2020. Candace also loved everything S.T.E.M. She was also an incredible artist, her favorite medium being watercolor. This Foundation is to honor all that was her and important to her, including the name sake “Apiary” - honoring her love for bees and cultivating inclusive communities.

She went by many names – Sisty, Aunt Cannis, Candy Cane, daughter, friend, cousin, niece, sister in law, granddaughter. She wore each of those names with fierce loyalty and love. She had quick wit, impeccable humor and amazing taste in music. She could dance with the best of them and bake better than anyone. She made stuffies for her BFF and nephew, Brodhi, and blankets for her people. She lived a life of color – never dull.

As time goes on, please help in honoring and remembering Candace and her light every year. Reach out to those that you love or that are on your mind. Lend a helping hand or share your energy to those that may need it. Take a hike, pet a dog, save a turtle, sunbathe on a rock, swim in the ocean or dance your heart out. Sing songs incredibly loud and off key, drink so much Dunkin Donuts that you feel dizzy, play board games….or heck, any game, read in a hammock or visit a brewery. Drink hot tea or eat sushi, bake a pie…maybe take a tequila shot (but you have to have a lime). Get a tattoo or wear a funky outfit with all the colors, wear boots, berks or chacos.