Frances “Bettie” Elizabeth McCandless, 88, of Fort Myers, Florida, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Gulf Coast Medical Center, surrounded by the love of her family.
Bettie was born on March 12, 1938, in Valley Station, Kentucky, to Joseph Wessel and Mary Athelia (Kiefer) Wessel. On March 5, 1955, she married the love of her life, Andrew Clay McCandless, in Indiana. They built a life, family, and countless memories and adventures together over 58 years of marriage until Clay’s passing on December 18, 2013.
Bettie, was school a bus driver for over 25 years the last 12 for Salem Illinois School District; a job she truly loved. She safely transported generations of children and was known for her patience, kindness, and caring spirit. It was a common scene around the Salem area for Bettie’s, now adult, students to celebrate her and remember her abiding love for them.
Bettie was a skilled and avid creator. She won numerous awards for her fine hand-quilting and generously shared her made-with-love art with anyone whom she thought it would bring joy. To be loved by Bettie was to receive a gift of her crafts, or a pot of her famous Chicken-N-Dumplins.
After retiring, Bettie chose sunshine, community, and a home closer to her beloved big sister by relocating to Orange Harbor in Fort Myers. Surrounded by an ever-growing group of good friends and great neighbors, Bettie embraced the warmth of Florida and friendships, treasuring the close-knit community and the many adventures that accompanied. Her greatest joy, however, was always her family. As the long-time matriarch, she continued to prioritize big family moments, celebrated her people, and desired little else than to revel in the successes and happiness of her children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter.
Bettie was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband; her son Joseph (Joey) Clay, and her son-in-law, James Thomas.
She leaves behind a family who will miss her deeply and cherish the task of preserving her memory: her daughter, Mary Cae Thomas of Indianapolis; her son, Leo Daniel McCandless and his partner, Tom Lawson, of St. Louis, Missouri; her daughter-in-law, Angela McCandless of Collinsville, Illinois; her grandchildren, Jacob, Olivia, Beth (Sam) Wilson, and Amber; her cherished great-granddaughter, Rosemary (RJ) Wilson; along with her dear brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. EST at St. Andrew’s Cemetery.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate Bettie’s life on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the home of Larry and Denise Weiter, 9219 Wooddale Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40272. A second Celebration of Life will be held on January 17, 2027, at the Orange Harbor Community Clubhouse in Fort Myers, Florida. Crouse Funeral Home in Salem, Illinois is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be left at www.CrouseFH.com
Bettie will be remembered for her fiery spirit, tender heart, quiet strength, unwavering love for her family, and the kindness she showed to everyone she met. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and in the family she loved so dearly.
