Kandy Kae McGuire

Kandy Kae (Kelly) McGuire, 71, of Yakima, Washington, passed away on September 5, 2026, at Memorial Hospital, in Yakima. She was born on September 1, 1955, in Yakima, to James and Carolyn (Scogin) Kelly, and spent most of her life in the West Valley area. The only girl among four children, Kandy grew up with her brothers, Dennis, Derek, and Kevin.

She began dating Kent McGuire in high school, and after Kent joined the Army, Kandy soon enlisted as well. They married on January 25, 1975, while she was serving in the Army. Kandy served for three years as a medic, before being honorably discharged when she and Kent decided to start their family. They shared more than 51 years of marriage and raised four children, three sons and one daughter, Matthew (Janelle) McGuire, Sari (Adam) Fogelstrom, Joseph (Milissa) McGuire, and Seth (Nikki) McGuire. She was a loving grandmother to Maxwell, Samuel, Mason, Karoline, Layla, and Lola “Bear.”

Kandy was a hard worker with seemingly endless energy and was happiest when she was busy doing something for her family or someone else. In 1989, she started Kandy’s Kustom Wallpapering. She later worked with J Designs in Yakima, before starting a window-covering installation and repair business through McGuire’s Repair in 2010.

Kandy was remarkably creative and talented with her hands. She was an excellent seamstress and, when her children were young, often made their clothes herself. Her sewing skills later extended to window coverings and other projects for the home. She loved crafts of all kinds, including cross-stitch and macramé, and enjoyed decorative painting and other interior-design projects, including hand-painted decorative wall borders. Her creativity seemed to find its way into whatever she was doing, whether she was working on someone’s home, making something for her own family, or dreaming up craft projects for the children in her Sunday School class. She also loved growing flowers and working in her garden.

Kandy’s faith was an important part of her life. She was a devoted member of West Valley Missionary Church and loved being a Sunday School teacher. She had a special place in her heart for children and made a point of visiting and spending time with older church members and friends who could no longer easily leave their homes.

Helping people came naturally to Kandy. Over her lifetime, she donated more than 22 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross, one of many ways she quietly gave to people she would never even meet.

Kandy loved being outdoors. Summers meant camping and trail riding dirt bikes with her family in Little Naches, where her children grew up riding their own bikes alongside her. She enjoyed cutting firewood in the mountains with Kent, growing flowers and tending her garden, and raising chickens that were more pets than livestock. She loved the dogs that she and Kent shared throughout their years together. She also played women’s softball for many years and was always the shortstop.

Kandy rarely sat still. She was always working on something, helping someone, tending to her family, or starting another project. She was kind, generous, hardworking, and deeply devoted to her faith and the people she loved. She greeted people with a smile, gave freely of her time and talents, and had a way of simply being there when someone needed her. She was truly loved by those who knew her.

Kandy is survived by her husband of more than 51 years, Kent McGuire, her mother, Carolyn (Scogin) Kelly; her children and their spouses, Matthew (Janelle) McGuire, Sari (Adam) Fogelstrom, Joseph (Milissa) McGuire, and Seth (Nikki) McGuire, her grandchildren, Maxwell, Samual, Mason, Karoline, Layla, and Lola “Bear,” her brothers, Dennis, Derek, and Kevin Kelly, and many extended family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her father, James Kelly.
A Viewing will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 12:00-3:00pm,at Brookside Funeral Home (500 W. Prospect Pl., Moxee, WA). A Funeral Service celebrating Kandy’s life will be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 11:00am, at West Valley Missionary Church.