Candace E Trafton (64) passed away on July 31, 2018 in Tampa General Hospital with her loving family by her side. She is preceded in death by her mother Carol M Trafton and her father Earl J Trafton. Candace is survived by her brother Lawrence(Elsie) Trafton of Surprise, AZ; her sister Wendy(Roger) Slater of West Palm Beach; a niece, Jennifer Trafton of Surprise, AZ; three nephews, Eric Trafton(Amber) of Middleburg, NY; Jotham Slater of Pompano Beach FL; and Benjamin Slater of Brandon, FL; three great nieces, a great nephew, and many who knew her through work and organizations.
Candace was born on October 7, 1953 in Cooperstown NY, and graduated from Richmondville Central School in 1971. She then went on to graduate from Ellis Hospital School of Nursing with a Diploma in Nursing in 1974.
After working for several years in the capital district as a Registered Nurse, she re-located to Phoenix Arizona where she spent over 16 years working as a Nurse Case Manager for TriWest Healthcare Alliance in the Congressional Relations & Priority Programs. Her duties included assisting military members and their families with healthcare needs. During that time she was introduced to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, (TAPS) where she developed a strong passion for working with the survivor families of our fallen soldiers.
Her interests included photography and developing her many creative talents. In 2003 she found a passion that would give her profound enjoyment for the next 15 years. It included owning, breeding and showing her Bulldogs. She volunteered much of her time in the pursuit of maintaining and improving the breed. Her accomplishments as an owner-handler included a recent Grand Championship designation for a dog she co-owned as well as handled in the show ring. She was a volunteer for positions in the Phoenix Bulldog Club, including President and was the current President of the Tampa Bay Bulldog Club and Secretary of the Region VIII Division of the Bulldog Club of America.
Services for Candace are set for August 25th in Richmondville, NY where she will be laid to rest with her mother and father at the Richmondville Rural Cemetery.
A celebration of life service is being planned for her in September by the Bulldog community in Florida.
The family asks that any donations be sent to the TAPS organization in her memory at the link below.
