Victor Serafin Candelaria Jr.
Victor Serafin Candelaria Jr., 79, passed away at his home on Monday, March 9, 2015. A funeral Mass was celebrated March 14 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Page, and he was laid to rest in the Page Cemetery.
He was born on Sept. 14, 1935, in Winslow to Victor Serafin Candelaria Sr. and Agatha “Aggy” Candelaria. He graduated from Winslow High School in 1953.
Victor married Helen Marie Nez in 1954, and they were married for 60 years.
He was a member of Carpenter Local Union 1100, and had worked on the construction of the Navajo Generating Station, Four Corners Generating Station, Coronado Generating Station and Palo Verde Nuclear Plant. His co-workers called him “Candy.”
Victor moved his family from Phoenix to Page-Lake Powell in the summer of 1965. His first job in Page was at the Exxon gas station and then Rainbow Bridge Fuel Docks, ARCO and the Shell gas station. He later worked at Vostron Industries, where they made electronics for the Apollo missions, mini skippers and Tahiti boats. After Vostron Industries shut down, he went to work for Bechtel Corporation as a carpenter/scaffold builder. His first job with them was the Navajo Generating Station, then he went on the road to continue helping build power plants. After working on the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant, he decided to return home to Page, where he worked for a couple of plant outages, at Wahweap as a maintenance man, on a few movie sets, as a maintenance man at Escalante apartments and Canyon Lake apartments, and finally drove for the Helping Hands agency and an ice cream truck.
Victor loved the outdoors, boating on Lake Powell, fishing with his boys, coaching Little League, and watching his kids, grandkids and great-grandkids play sports. He was fond of baseball and his favorite team was the New York Yankees. He loved to play bingo, and was known by the rowdy bingo crowd as “Mr. Bingo.”
Most of all he loved spending time and taking care of his lovely wife Helen for 60 wonderful years. She was his queen and was holding his hand when he passed. He was a great son, brother, uncle, father-in-law, grandpa and one awesome dad. He loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren to no end.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Candelaria of Le Chee; his children, Willard Nez of Glendale, Victoria Rogers of Page, Gabriel Candelaria of Le Chee, Ted (Theresa) Candelaria of Page and Roman S. Candelaria of Le Chee; his grandchildren, Shelly Nez of Phoenix, Jason (Monica) Rogers of Edenburg, Texas, Kris Rogers of Memphis, Tenn., Dahryn Candelaria of Page, Daley (fiancé Jena Greyeyes) Candelaria of Page and Darby (Andrew) Cisneros of Fruita, Colo.; and his great-grandchildren, Hayle and Holden Rogers, MacKensy and Mikalynn Candelaria, Jace and Avery Rogers, and his newest great-grandson Kye Cisneros.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Yvonne Candelaria; his son-in-law, Ladd Rogers; his brother, Raymond Candelaria; and his sister, Lillian Sanchez.
Victor will be missed by all who knew him.
Mosdell Mortuary of Kanab, Utah, was in charge of the arrangements.
