Candice Earley

Candice (Candi) Jean Earley was born 18 August 1950 at Fort Hood, Texas. Her parents were Harold E. Earley and Vera Jean (nee Daily) Earley. Her father, (Harold) was a Colonel in the United States Army Judge Advocate General (JAG Corps). Colonel Earley was transferred to Germany after Candi was born and later reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma when Candi was five years old. Candi's father retired from active military service at the conclusion of his assignment at Fort Sill and established a home for the family in the Lawton, Oklahoma which is the civilian city next to Fort Sill. Candi spent the rest of childhood and school age years in Lawton, Oklahoma which she considered home. Candi had two older brothers, Jack and Mike. Candi attended Lawton Public Schools (LPS) and graduated from Lawton High School (LHS) in 1968. She was an honor student and active in theater and arts programs. She developed a 4-Octave coloratura soprano voice via spirited voice lessons while in High School. She was very active in LHS theater productions and musicals. She also lent her voice and acting talent to the local Lawton Community Theater (LCT). These theatrical opportunities permitted Candi to develop and evolve as an actor and performer. During her senior year in high school, Candi participated and was crowned Miss Lawton 1968. As Miss Lawton, she represented the city of Lawton in the Miss Oklahoma pageant later that summer and was second in the competition to be "Runner-Up." She attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After college she relocated to San Francisco to seek her stage career. While there, she joined the Cast of Hair in 1969, and shortly was cast in the lead role of "Shelia." From then on, and through all of her life, she was one of the proud and select members of the "Tribe." At age 21, she moved to New York, and was a member of the Broadway "Tribe." She was then cast as the female lead in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway. While eating lunch at Sardi's Restaurant, the Casting Director of ABC daytime television asked, "Who is that attractive mid-western looking type across the room?" Shortly thereafter she was cast as "Donna Tyler Beck" on the long-running ABC Television daytime soap opera, All My Children, where she starred for 18 years (1975-2005). During this time on All My Children, she continued her Broadway stage career playing the lead role of "Sandy" in Grease, and later played the role of "Nellie Forbush", opposite Bob Goulet, in South Pacific. During her years in New York, she also starred in Summer Stock Productions in her hometown (Lawton), of the Lawton Community Theatre productions including, Bells are Ringing, and Woman of the Year. While living in New York, she regularly returned to Lawton, which she considered "home." She also appeared on the game shows "Family Feud" and "The $10,000 Pyramid." Candi chose to self-retire from screen and stage and relocated to El Dorado, Arkansas where she met and married Robert C. Nolan. Candi Jean Earley Nolan passed away 31 January 2019 at the age of 68, after a lengthy battle with Multiple Systems Atrophy.