Kandi Jean Rosales, 61, of Vinita, Oklahoma, passed away on Saturday, July 4, after suffering a massive stroke.
Kandi was born in Evanston, to Luke Lym and Ginger Ellingford on Dec. 20, 1958. Kandi attended Evanston High School until she married Jesse Rosales. Kandi and Jesse had one child, Jesse James Rosales, who passed away as an infant. Kandi and Jesse later divorced. There was not a day that went by in the past 40 years that Kandi did not either think or talk about her baby “little Jess.”
Early in Kandi’s life, she worked for the family business cutting and wrapping meat for Evanston Wholesale. While she was in Evanston, she worked as a waitress and a department manager at Walmart all while caring for her father, Luke. Later, Kandi moved back to Oklahoma and worked various jobs until she settled in Vinita, Oklahoma, where she met many wonderful friends.
As written by one of Kandi’s good friends, DJ Record:
“I was definitely very fortunate to call Kandi my friend, along with all the other friends she made in the small town of Vinita, Oklahoma. Kandi had a big heart — she was so generous and giving and loving to everyone at Burroughs Manor, where we lived, in Vinita.
“She was so easy to be around, and we had so much fun together — we laughed a lot and went so many places together. Kandi was always there for everyone, no matter what their needs were. It did not matter how bad she might have felt, she would just give and give and give of herself. She did a lot of walking whether it was day or night, with no threats of danger — that’s a plus being in a small town.
“Kandi was a spur-of-the-moment kind of gal — if we had something planned and one of our other friends wanted to do something different, that was OK too — we would go do that. She even loved the same music I did — of course that was country and western, oldies but goodies and gospel groups. Kandi was so loved and will truly be missed by all who knew her, especially by me and my brother, Steve. She is one in a million; you know, one of a kind.”
Kandi is preceded in death by her former husband, Jesse Rosales; her son, Jesse James Rosales; her father, Luke Lym; and her stepfather, Rudy Ellingford.
She is survived by her mother, Ginger Ellingford; brothers, Dusty (fiancé, Meranda Bybee) Lym and Rusty (Trudy) Lym; sister, Toni (David) Albrecht; nephews, Dustin (Nelly) Lym, Waylon (Chelsey) Lym, Garrett (Mindy) Lym, Wacey Lym, Kade Lym and Dylan Lym; niece, Cassie (Michael) Williams; and several great-nieces and great-nephews. Kandi is also survived by her wonderful friend, DJ Record; DJ’s brother, Steve; and many other close friends in Vinita.
Kandi will be laid to rest next to her baby, Jesse, in the Evanston City Cemetery. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 17.
The family would like to thank DJ Record and her friends for all their kindness to Kandi, and also the staff at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Missouri, and Porta Caeli House in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the great care she received and compassion for the family.
