Candace Rose Teruel

Dr. Candace “Candie” Teruel, age 55, fulfilled her life purpose and left earth to dance with the angels in Heaven on June 17, 2024. God needed her help walking the French Bulldogs and German Shepherd puppies and was giving away free french fries- so her heart could not refuse her ascension. These notions exemplify the way Candie’s heart led her walk of life.

Her heart was birthed by her mother, Geraldine Wojciechowski, who gifted her with an unending spring of compassion. Not only did Candie have a heart of gold, she had an aesthetic look to match and a distinctive sense of fashion that made the House of Gucci green with envy. However even with a heart that radiated light and attractive looks to kill Filipinos, she only achieved true unicorn status because she was given the gift of intellect by her father, Michael Wojciechowski, who was an automotive designer. Candie was the trifecta of a woman, a real hat-trick of a lady- who redefined the holy trinity of brains, beauty, and heart.

Candie was planted in the humble beginnings of Michigan and blossomed into a colorful rose in the warmth of Florida. Finding herself around an aquatic environment was the natural course of her water sign, Scorpio, who seeked and eventually married the synergistic Pisces, Marc Teruel, another water sign who was there from the beginning until death did they part. And just like other Scorpios, they seek the warmth and the closeness of others- but if you ever threatened her or what she loved, she had a venomous sting.

Candie’s maternalistic traits propelled her into the field of medicine where she had a knack for helping a vast amount of patients, with complex issues, in short periods of time- yet she still had the talent to make her patients feel safe, heard, and understood. She nursed them in a way that made them feel like they were her only patient. She did this all while drinking diet Mountain Dew and rapidly shuffling her clogs- paired with her University of Miami attire. Even with her quirky clamoring, her presence echoed throughout hospital halls and her aura was palpable as soon as she stepped into each clinic. With her vivacious blonde hair bouncing with each stride and her infinitely deep hazel eyes emitting a twinkling charm, staff and patients knew they were in the presence of greatness.

Candie was like a flawless blonde Barbie doll who would give you the shirt off her back- then reach down and give you her Christian Louboutins, then ask you if you want any Botox. If you asked her for an opinion, she was honest to a fault- and if you didn’t like it, that was your fault for asking. If you have a memory of Candie, it would most likely involve her smiling and that was her greatest super power. Due to her inimitable charisma, she will have pockets of celebration for her life throughout the country.

If Candie was a cocktail, she’d be made up of 1 part CrossFitter, 2 parts Gucci, 4 parts doctor, and 100 parts Superwoman- and the drink would be called “The Queen”. It would have taken arguably the worst disease in the medical journals to take down Superwoman. But she went down kicking and fighting, just like the way she came into this world, and lived past everyone’s expectations. She lived a life routinely beating the odds and was a real life miracle worker who became your best friend the moment you met her. In her swan song act of heroism, she gifted us with one final act of valiant resilience and enduring resolve to become a generational source of inspiration. We can shine this light during the moments when we are wrapped in the darkness of despair. She reminds us that if we try hard enough, believe hard enough, and surround ourselves with people who feel the same, we can beat the statistics and, more importantly, carve a path for the ones to follow.

Candie’s legacy not only survives through her daughters Morgan Kokaram and Carlie Coyle- but a part of her lives in all those who were fortunate enough to have met her. Her spirit dwells within her loving siblings Deborah Hurren, Patty Schoof, Amy Lawnichak. She is predeceased by Alison Monicatti, and her treating oncology nurse practitioner Alison Fischer-Wollenberg, who saved her life on multiple occasions. Most honorably, she left her uplifting humor and self-deprecating giggles with her brother, Michael Wojciechowski, who will always be her biggest fan, in every way, in every form, no matter where. She bestowed her sword of truth and protective shield to her Irish Twin sister, Angela Sciriha, who relocated to Florida to be with her and to make sure the Filipinos weren’t being too quiet. She left her merciful graces and unconditional forgiveness with her sister, Lisa Kerschenheiter, who coalesced a legion of Christians and sent an army of prayers to her. She shared her suave swag and badass attitude with her sister-in-law, Karla Scurry, who believed she could do no wrong, no matter what. Candie rested her “ride or die” loyalty and unwavering devotion to her best friend, Heather Lynch, who was also her dutiful caregiver and who understands what the true meaning of sacrifice is. And she left her most precious memories of joy, laughter, tears, discovery, persistence, and miracles with her mother-in-law, Mariam Teruel, and father-in-law, Alan Teruel, who are both registered nurses that took her into their home to nurse, nourish, and rehabilitate her.

If you ever had the privilege of breaking bread with Candie, she would never let you pay or accept your money. In lieu of memorial donations, Candie had a special sentiment toward the impoverished. While she is rocking with Run-D.M.C. and Biggie Smalls from Above, we can still make her smile by sharing our time, resources, and efforts with those who aren’t so fortunate.

Candie represented the very best of us. Candie is not gone, she’s just gone before us- like the perfect straight-A student who finished her exam first and left the classroom before everyone else. Her respite was well deserved and her rest was well earned. Wait, Candie resting? Who are we kidding- right now, she’s in Heaven… chasing puppies and french fries…

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center: http://development.miami.edu/page.aspx?pid=749

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