Candice "Candy" Eckert

Candice "Candy" Eckert, 63, passed away on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at Lord of Life Lutheran church, 1143 N 26^th St, Bismarck.

Candy was born in Devils Lake on July 4, 1956 to Duane and Van Sauter. The family moved to Bismarck in 1958. Candy graduated from Bismarck High School in 1974.  During her high school years, she enjoyed being a cheerleader and a majorette.

After graduation, Candy enlisted in the Army Reserves where she served until April 1977 and received a nursing degree. Shortly after her first honorable discharge she re-enlisted and spent another 3 years as an Army recruiter until she received her second honorable discharge. Candy always had a deep love for all service men and women and was very proud to be a lifetime member of the Bismarck Amvets Club.

On February 18, 1978 Candy married her true soulmate Robert "Bob" Douglas Eckert. Candy and Bob spent 42 amazing years together. Candy and Bob worked together in the business they started (Bob Eckert Painting Inc.) for over 20 years. They were blessed to retire early and therefore they had 14 years of traveling and enjoying many cruises together.  They had many adventures together, but Candy was equally happy spending time with good friends laughing and telling stories.  Bob and Candy were inseparable best friends and they defined partnership in a way many couples strive to emulate.  There weren’t many times that you would see one without the other.     

Candy and Bob were also blessed with two children, Robb (born in 1981) and Amber (born in 1979).  During the time their children were growing up, Bob and Candy went to all their kids’ sporting events regardless of the distance they had to drive.  They loved making those memories and Candy often made many new friends at every stop as they traveled to watch their kids’ events.

Friendship was very important to Candy.  She truly believed the more friends you had, the better life would be. Many of these friends have expressed that “to know Candy, was to love Candy.”  She looked forward to her monthly book club meetings as she knew they would be filled with plenty of laughs, food, drinks, and if there were any time left…..books!

Candy loved many in this life, but nothing came close to the love she had for her grandkids -- Andrew, Emmy, Bobby and Gabe. She cherished each of them and treasured the moments she spent with them. The word “NO” was nonexistent in her love language when it came to the grandkids. Special food requests were always honored, the same movies were watched a multitude of times, and requests to play board games were consistently answered with, “I would love to.”   There were some mealtimes that included trips to Big Boy, McDonald’s, and Arby’s when two grandkids couldn’t agree on what they wanted to eat.

Over the last few years Candy struggled with major health issues. She had a heart attack 4 years ago (in August). After a successful quadruple bypass surgery, she was on her road to recovery. Unfortunately the illnesses continued and she was diagnosed with liver failure in early 2019. She fought hard to stay here on earth with the family and friends she loved all the way up till the end of her life. On February 4, while surrounded by her family, her fight finally came to an end.  Her family is grateful that she is no longer in pain but realizes that there is a void in our hearts that can’t be filled until we see her once again.  Candy will be missed by so many but will always hold a special place in all of our hearts as we hold tight to our precious memories.

One special moment that Candy especially loved was taking the entire family on a Disney Cruise. It gave her the chance to spend everyday together with the family that she loved so much. With no practices or games to rush off to, just laying poolside and watching the grandkids run around and play. Sharing every meal together filled with laughter and stories. Candy even had a front row seat to watch Andrew and Bobby walk up the long staircase to the slide and try and convince the workers that yes in fact they were old enough to ride the slide alone only to watch them walk back down the long winding stairs with a look of defeat on their much too young faces.

Candy is succeeded in life by her mother, Evangeline Sauter; husband, Robert (Bob) Eckert; daughter, Amber Lynn (Jeff) Lovdal and their children Andrew Lovdal and Gaberiel "Gabe" Lovdal; son, Robert "Robb" (Jody) Duane Eckert and their children Emerson "Emmy" Eckert and Robert "Bobby" Kelly Eckert; brother and sisters-in-law, Roger and Barb Eckert, Dent, MN; Toni and Gary Riveland, Bismarck; Deb and Mark Mosolf Bismarck; Carla and Rick Rasmussen Moorhead, MN; Tracy and Mark Geohring, Janesville, WI; Dwight and Barb Sauter, Las Vegas, NV; and Kyle and Cydra Sauter, Bismarck.

Candy was preceded in death by her father, Duane Sauter; sister-in-law, JoAnn Eckert: nephew, Christopher Eckert, mother-in-law, Sis Eckert; step mother-in-law, June Eckert; and uncles Dan Leno and Rubin Biech.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan or the American Heart Association.

Family will greet visitors from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck.  A prayer service will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, February 24, at the ND Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.