Candice “Candy” Joy Pederson

Candice ‘Candy’ Joy (Nelson) Pederson, the daughter of Donnabell (Messner) and the late Alvin Nelson, was born August 21, 1952 in New Ulm, MN. She passed away suddenly on September 10, 2019 due to the injuries suffered in an auto accident. Funeral service were held on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at Oakwood Community Church (8805 Klein Drive) in Waconia with Rev. Mark Sullivan officiating; visitation was held from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service at church; interment Orono Cemetery in Elk River. Candy is survived by children; Jeremy (Nycole Twite) Pederson of Eden Prairie MN, Nichol Pederson of Plato, MN and Los Angeles, CA, and Jenna (Blake) Birdsall of Becker, MN; grandchildren: Emily (20), Jack (17), Nate (15), Tommy (15) Pederson and Aviana (7), Ezekiel (4 ), Hezekiah (3 ), and Zacchaeus (6.5 months) Birdsall; Mother;Donnabell (Messner) Nelson of Winthrop, MN; brothers & sisters; Susette (Jerry) Leuthold of Chanhassen, MN, Lance (Renee) Nelson of Big Lake, MN, Holly (Jay) Mogler of Elk River, MN, Jill Nelson of Naperville, IL, Scott (Kris) Nelson of Andover, MN, Garrett (Dawn) Nelson of Brooklyn Park, MN, Kyle (Tammy) Nelson of Eden Prairie, MN, Shawn (Stephanie) Nelson of Hutchinson, MN, Gary (Bice) Nelson of New Berlin, WI, Lynn (Jim) Lang of Wyoming, MN, Robert (Becky) Nelson of Champlin, MN; many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. Candy was preceded in death by; her grandmother Geraldine Nelson; father Alvin Nelson and nephew Luke Mogler. Candice was united in marriage to Gerald Pederson on March 30th, 1972 in Winthrop, MN. They lived in Winthrop where they were blessed with and raised three children, Jeremy, Nichol, and Jenna. Candice and Jerry shared 23 years of marriage before divorcing in 1995. Candice moved to Waconia, MN because she wanted to be closer to her kids and grandkids. Candy loved Jesus Christ, she was devoted to her Savior and lived by faith seeking to please Him. Candy became a therapeutic massage therapist creating her own business, Tender Touch, which became her personal ministry. She was incredibly gifted in working with people and she loved doing it. She would listen to her client’s stories and pray with them. She had the gift of connecting peoples physical & emotional pain to aid in their healing. Candy volunteered at various places including Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, Westwood Community Church in Excelsior, and at Promise Community Church in Waconia just to name a few. She loved spending time with her various Bible studies, prayer groups, meeting family and friends. She cherished her quiet prayer time in the morning with a hot cup of coffee. She also loved the thrill of finding a good deal, garage sales were the best. Candy loved her family, especially her grandkids. She was happiest when spending time with her grandchildren. She rarely said no to having fun, whether it meant being down on a floor, in a tree or on a trampoline. They went on endless walks, fishing, and playing at the park for hours until naptime. During naptime she would quickly fold a load of laundry, bake banana muffins, empty a dishwasher or vacuum the floors. She was always willing to help out in any way. Her daughter Nichol was Candy’s best friend, they enjoyed their daily phone calls, summers in MN & travelling together. Candy recently moved to her new home on September 5th and enjoyed one glorious week in what she called ‘her blessed house’. Little did any us know she would be moving so quickly to her eternal home in heaven. We knew her as a mother, daughter, sister and friend. She gave so much of herself to so many people. She will be missed terribly. Arrangements with the Johnson Funeral Home in Waconia. www.johnsonfh.com