Candyce Field Antley

Candyce (Candy) Field Antley finished her race peacefully and surrounded by family on May 9, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina following a sudden, but brief, illness. She was 75 years old. Born in Lexington, Kentucky on December 17, 1948, Candy found her calling while a nursing student at the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!), where she earned a B.S. in nursing in 1970 and met her husband, Harry S. Antley. After a couple of years as a practicing RN, Candy pivoted to teaching and returned to USC to earn a Master’s in Nursing. From there, Candy went on to teach in the nursing programs at USC, Greenville Technical College, and, then, Midlands Technical College, where she taught until she retired in December of 2023. In all, Candy taught and trained nurses in South Carolina for 48 years, and she touched the lives of generations of nurses. Few things made her day more than running into former students and catching up on their lives and careers, and even in her last days, former students made up part of her excellent treatment team. If she had to go out, she would have wanted her family at her bedside and former students taking the reins of her care. She was blessed to have both. Quick to laugh at an inappropriate joke and always ready to sit and talk while enjoying a generous pour of red wine, Candy had a broad array of interests. She was a devotee and fan of, in no specific order, cats, knitting, cross stitch, competitive figure and freestyle roller skating, cats, wine, Stephen King novels and short stories, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” coffee, her local Red Hat Society, most anything purple, soccer, and cats. Rumors have circulated that prior to college, she was a kickboxing champion in Canada, though that may be apocryphal. But, what can be confirmed beyond any shadow of a doubt: cats. Throughout her life, Candy lived in Kentucky; Texas; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Florida; and Irmo and Greenville, South Carolina. Irmo, though, was her home and where she planted roots. She was also a devoted member of Union United Methodist Church in Irmo, where she served as a social outreach team member over a 17-year span. Above all else, though, Candy loved, and was loved by, her family. She brought four boys onto planet Earth, and she cherished nothing more. She reveled in their successes and was always there with a hand to help them back up when they stumbled. She put her boys before herself in all things and was delighted to have the opportunity to do the same for her nine grandchildren. Candy was predeceased by her mother, Barbara Field of Daytona Beach, her father, Roger F. Field, of Stuart, Florida, and her brother, Theodore Field, of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She is survived by her sons, Christopher R. Antley (daughter-in-law Terri and grandchildren McKinley, Carter, Lillian, and Kaylee) of Greenville, SC; Michael J. Antley (daughter-in-law Neely and grandchildren Brayden and John) of Columbia, SC; Ryan Antley (grandchildren Claire, Caroline, and Catherine) of Columbia, SC; and Craig Antley of Gainesville, FL. She was one-of-a kind and will be sorely missed. A ceremony in Candy’s honor is scheduled for May 31, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Union United Methodist Church, 7582 Woodrow St, Irmo, SC 29063. For anyone wishing to give, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Candy’s name to The Humane Society of South Carolina at 405 Greenlawn Drive, Columbia, SC 29209, (803) 783-1267. The South Carolina Cremation Society is assisting the family. Please share memories and messages on the online guest book by clicking on the “Tribute Wall” tab above.