Candice Lorine Farmer | 75 | Burnet County, TX

Candice Lorine Olmsted Farmer, 75, passed away June 25, 2025, in Burnet County, TX. Candice aka Candy was born on Sept. 6, 1949, in Grafton, IL, the oldest child of the late Donald Edwin and Nina (nee Manning) Olmsted.
As a resident of Marble Falls, TX, Candace lived among her books by the best American writers and delighted in reading about the rituals, tribal origins, and peoples of the southwest. Through the years, Candice loved creating art, encouraging children’s creativity, and laughing. Through the gift of tapping into her spirit’s childlike nature, Candy related to the children in her life, especially her granddaughters, Amber and Sierra.
Candy’s parents ventured from Illinois to Albuquerque, NM, where Candy taught Sunday school at St. Aiden’s Episcopal Church; collected JFK memorabilia, receiving signed correspondences from Jacqueline Kennedy; and took art classes at Sandia High School, creating a pitcher and bowl her mother cherished. While babysitting for neighbors Esther and Paul Farmer, a man came to the door, and, despite the children yelling “Uncle Mike, Davidsmeyer slams Pritzker’s double-talk on redistricting and his flip-flop on fair maps” Candy refused to let him in. In a “meet-cute” worthy of a romantic comedy, Candice met Michael Patrick Farmer of South Bend, IN, and they exchanged letters while he served in Vietnam as a Navy Medic, and she delighted him with a rum-soaked cake packed in rum-absorbing popcorn.
The Olmsteds returned to IL in 1966. The following year, Candy graduated from Jersey Community High School, and Mike completed his military service. In September, Mike and Candy married at St. Patrick’s Church in Grafton, IL, and moved briefly to Albuquerque, NM, where their son, Stanley Robert Farmer, was born the following August; “Stan” was named for Candy’s great-uncle Stanley Gill. The Farmers later lived in St. Louis, MO, and San Antonio, TX. Over the years, Candy used her puzzle-solving and organizational skills while working in loss prevention, retail, and marketing for Famous Barr and Procter & Gamble. Meanwhile, Candy learned much from her extended, faithful, and loving Farmer family and enjoyed spending time with them in Indiana and Michigan.
Candy’s greatest pleasure was being with Stan, Amber, and Sierra, and Candy’s most important endeavors involved shaping “her girls” with love, an arcane sense of humor, and a desire to explore new places. Games like Four Square, Clue, Scrabble, Sudoku, and cards were favorite pastimes. She encouraged her granddaughters’ creativity through art projects and tours of parks and museums, such as the City Museum of St. Louis, which particularly inspired Candy.
Candy’s favorite holiday was Halloween, and “her holiday” with Amber and Sierra. With beautiful detail and thoughtfulness, Candy sewed and crafted innovative costumes by engaging her artistic, fun-loving spirit. Candy’s girls recalled that she always exceeded their imaginative requests. After pumpkin picking and craving, Candy served kid-friendly Halloween food and showed The Halloween Tree and Charlie Brown’s “The Great Pumpkin.” Then, while all slept, the Great Pumpkin delivered presents, complete with Halloween confetti. Candice eventually joined Stan and his young daughters in NC.
Candy arranged craft and art playdates, swam, and ate cantaloupes in the summer heat with her girls. She shared her love for cartoons, especially Rocky and Bullwinkle, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special,” Ice Age, and Chicken Run. She took Amber and Sierra to the “dinosaur park” and booked summer camp adventures. Candy followed 80s rock music, including heavy metal, and Candy, Sierra and Amber often belted “Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum in the car. In 2018, after residing in Jerseyville with her mother for a decade, Stan and his family invited Candy to Marble Falls, TX, where she spent her last eight years.
Candace is preceded in death by her parents, Donald and Nina (nee Manning) Olmsted, her grandparents, Bruce and Dorothy (nee Clark) Manning, and Charles and Lorine (nee Clark) Olmsted of LaSalle, IL, and friends Paul Farmer and Artie Allen.
Candace is survived by her son Stanley “Stan” R. Farmer and his wife, Julie McGehee Farmer, of Horseshoe Bay, TX, granddaughters Amber R. Farmer of Morganton, NC, Sierra R. Farmer of Austin, TX, Julie’s adult children and grandchild; Candy’s siblings, Bruce (Barb) Olmsted of Dow, IL, and Sandra L. Olmsted, PhD, of St. Louis, MO; her Uncle Loyal Clark Manning; nephew, Matt (Kelly) Olmsted of Alton, and nieces, Jennifer (John) Fox and Julie Olmsted (David Dwyer), of Jerseyville, IL, great nieces and nephews: Emersyn, Everly, and Elowynn Olmsted of Alton, and Nolan, Sydney, and Lane Fox of Jerseyville, Rita and Mike Farmer, Erica Rinde, many Farmer sisters, nieces, and nephews, by Olmsted cousins, especially Melody Manning and Mary Morley, and numerous friends, who dearly loved her, especially Esther Farmer, Robin and Cindy Pratt, David Jordan and Ben Shaver, Victoria Marshall, Marg Gallegos, and Marsha Krueger.
The Farmers thank Candy’s wonderful caretakers and Ascension Seton Hospital system’s doctors, nurses, and caring teams.
At Candace’s request, there will be no services. To honor her love for our state and national parks, spend some time in one, remembering Candace fondly, and, if perchance you see a wolf, know it is Candace running with her beloved spirit animal. Donations can be given in Candace’s name to Friends of Bandelier National Monument <https://www.bandelierfriends.org/>, or The National Park Foundation <https://www.nationalparks.org/>, or Plant a Tree in a National Forest, <shop.alivingtribute.org/products/plant-a-tree-national-forest>.