Name:
Nino Candido
Born:
January 21, 1942
Passed Away:
April 26, 2008
Member Since:
November 9, 1973
Classification:
Propmaster
NINO
On behalf of my mother, Cheri, my sisters, Christina and Kacey, all the grandchildren and great grandchildren, and our entire family, I want to welcome and thank you for coming here today to celebrate the life of my dad, Nino Candido.
The life of Nino . . . oh what a life it was.
It began in New Orleans, Louisiana in January 1943. Nino was born the 2nd son to Candy and Anita, then brother to John, and a few years later, brother to his sisters Flora and Teresa. It was here in California that the Candido family made their home, and it was here that Nino found the many LOVES of his life.
The first, and unquestionably the greatest love of all, was his wife and best friend of fifty years, Cheri. Their story began in 1958, as young teenagers wildly in love with life, all its promises and each other. A few years later, they married and began their family. My parents’ journey together brought them many great adventures, some wonderful and some disquieting. In the end, I am happy to know that despite some of the rough terrain they encountered along life’s road, they were happy with the life they created together. Nino’s love for Cheri was simply unyielding, absolute and never-ending. It was an easy yet complicated love that most could not comprehend, but it was, and is, the greatest love my sisters and I learned to respect and understand, and we can only hope to have loved and been loved as much.
Nino’s other love, and perhaps his greatest passion, was his music. Any one who ever knew Nino will commit to memory the sound of him playing his guitar. Be it the twang in a bluesy country song, the thump of a rock guitar riff, or the easy strum of a love ballad. My dad was a great talent and each of us here today, on at least one occasion, was lucky enough to be entertained by his gift. I am sure you all share with me the sentiment that Nino Candido played euphorically. Through his guitar and his melodic voice, he sang to us his story of a life lived well.
Another great love of Nino’s was the many friends who surrounded him every day of his life. Most will agree that Nino was a man who never lacked the support and love of a great friend, and he was likely the best friend any man could have. There are so many close friends to my dad, and I wish I had time today to speak about each and everyone one of you, including Bobby, Vince, Jim, Steve, Jeff, Craig, John, Henry, Kevin and many, many more. However, I would like to take a moment to credit two men that were Nino’s oldest and dearest friends, Jimmy Hawkins and Bill Garity. Each of you had a profound effect on my dad. You brought Nino great joy and love to his life and I am thankful to you for giving him so much laughter and happiness.
Something else that gave Nino great satisfaction was the rumble and roar of his motorcycles, which there were many, but my dad’s love was for his Harley. It wasn’t just the bike; rather it was the great people he met along the road, the high he experienced, and what riding a Harley meant to him - solidarity, freedom, strength and pride. In so many ways, my dad’s journey was his destination.
Nino was artistic, creative, comical, and imaginative. He was what I would like to phrase as a Nino of all trades. Dating back to the early 60’s to earlier this year when he retired, Nino was everything from a stuntman, to an actor, a singer, a songwriter, prop master, and set director. He worked on numerous television shows and movie productions and was considered to be a captain within his trade. He was loved and admired by most within his industry, and I know the stories about his antics over the past 40 years will be told for many days to come.
Other loves in Nino’s life included some of the most unique four legged friends any person could ever be lucky enough to have shared a life. My dad was a lover of animals and I can’t think of a time when he didn’t have a dog. My fondest memories were with his dog Frosty. Then came Sparky one and Sparky two, followed by Jake and Molly. It wasn’t until the last few years that my dad grew to love cats and he eventually adopted 4 furry little friends. We’ve all heard the old adage that a man’s best friend is his dog. For my dad, I’d have to say, he was theirs.
Besides the many friends, talents and interests Nino had, my dad’s pleasure was found within his family and the relationships he shared with us all, including Ron and Zury, the sons he acquired when my sister and I married. Of course, it can’t be said enough how much Nino admired, respected and loved his brother and sisters, John, Flora and Teresa, who were always an inspiration to him. They shared an amazing life together full of amusement and great adventures.
For me and my sisters, Chris and Kacey, we know that dad’s greatest joy was in each of his daughters. It was in the pride he felt when we stood strong against him for things we believed in. It was in the humor we found in life’s challenges. It was in the way we fought hard to stay above water during rough times, and it was in the forgiveness we gave to each other. My dad’s joy was in the knowing that his daughters loved him unconditionally.
My dad’s final loves were his grandchildren and great grandchildren Anthony, Melissa, Michael, Lindsey, Chelsea, Britney, Sammy, DeAngelo and Christopher. Nino was and will forever be etched in their hearts and memories as the greatest Papi in the world.
Not one person here will disagree with me when I say that Nino was a man who lived his life to the extreme in every conceivable way. He loved passionately, he fought feverishly, he played hard, he entertained completely, and he laughed wholeheartedly. Nino was an eclectic man with many moods. At any time he could be your worst nightmare and your greatest pleasure, sometimes all at the same time. He was a man who believed in God and who prayed privately.
Nino was a splash of color in a life sometimes dull. He was always the life of the party and we were lucky to have had him share in our lives.
We will forever love you dad and we will miss you all the rest of our days. Until we meet again, we will continue to sing your song.