Candia “Candy” Draves Payne

Candia “Candy” Draves Payne, born October 7th, 1942, passed away in Bellingham, Washington on Thursday, December 29th, surrounded by her loving family. Candy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in her youth lived all over the world, including in Morocco and Japan. It was in Monterey, California that she met the love of her life, Jerry Payne. They were married in Washington, D.C. in December 1963. She and Jerry made Iowa City their home from 1969 to 2021 and they raised their three children there. Candy and Jerry moved to Bellingham, Washington in 2021 to live in an independent living community close to family. Candy worked for many years at the University of Iowa Medical School, doing microbiology research, co-authoring papers, and giving presentations at national conferences. She was a longtime member of an Iowa City stitchery group. She loved dining out, traveling the world, doing cross-stitch and crafts, shopping in boutiques and specialty shops, and spending time with her family. She was a close observer of beauty in the natural world and was always ready with an unexpected opinion to bring smiles to our faces. Candy was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Holly Draves. She is survived by her husband Jerry, her daughters Tracy Payne, Lucy Payne (Lee Martinson) and Beth (Jeff) Hansen; her brother Al Draves and her sister Lin Sandersen; her grandchildren Jessica (Mike) Fletcher, Alexa (Alex) Baxter, Anna Martinson and Erik Payne; her great-grandchildren Savannah and Madison Fletcher; and her naughty but beloved bichon frise, Danny Boy. Candy’s parents were buried at sea and it was Candy’s wish for her and Jerry to join them. Her final resting place will be the waters of the Pacific. Donations in her memory may be made to the charity of your choice. Condolences to the family may be sent to 223 E. Bakerview Road, Apt. 141, Bellingham, WA 98226.