Name: Columbus Candies Jr.
Birthplace: Oakland, California
Home: Caldwell, Idaho
Parents: Father, Columbus Sr., Navy career, Chief Petty Officer, and landscape architect. Mother, Leatrice, homemaker and certified nurse assistant.
High School: Golden Gate Academy. Graduated in 1978.
“An Adventist family living across the street befriended our single-parent family, and I started going to church at a young age. I attended Golden Gate Academy throughout junior high but had to leave due to a lack of funding. I attended Castlemont High School in Oakland for two years.
“One day, Mary Dent, the Adventist woman from across the street, came over and asked if I wanted to go back to Golden Gate. I said that we couldn’t afford it. She said that she would pray for me to get back in the academy. Two weeks later I was walking the halls of the school. The Lord took it upon Himself to pull me out of the high school and put me in an environment where I could flourish. The Elmhurst Church in Oakland financially supported my senior year at Golden Gate.
“During that year at Golden Gate Academy I became devoted to education. Out of the 25 graduating seniors, 20 percent are physicians, another 20 percent are in the medical field in other areas and there are numerous other professionals. These students were driven to succeed and I was able to benefit from the peer pressure.”
College: Attended Pacific Union College, Angwin, California, and Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California. Graduated in 1983 with a degree in physical therapy.
“When I went to PUC, the members of the Elmhurst Church sent me off royally, with a wonderful care package including blankets, sheets, personal items and school supplies. They were very supportive."
Graduate School: Portland State University. Graduated in 1995 with a master’s degree in public administration/health administration. Currently finishing a doctorate in education and leadership from the University of Idaho.
Occupation: Director of St. Luke’s Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Services, a joint venture between Boise’s St. Luke’s Hospital and Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital for outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services. Columbus manages about 200 employees in 15 clinics throughout the state.
Hobbies: Landscaping, gardening and construction. He enjoys all sports, camping, snow skiing, boating, and has a black belt in Rukyu Kenpo karate.
Spouse: Mary Angello Candies. Pacific Union College, associate degree in office administration; Humboldt State University, masters degree in speech pathology/audiology; and held a teaching credential in Oregon. She is a homemaker who homeschools their youngest child.
Married: August 3, 1979.
Children: Ariel, 17, and Cameron, 13.
Church Membership and Offices: The Candies family are members of the Nampa Church. Columbus has been elected head elder.
Columbus Candies is the St. Luke's Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Services director.
The Candies family, from left, Cameron, Mary, Columbus and Ariel.
Columbus Candies talks to a physical therapist in the Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Services therapy gymnasium.
