Obituary of Kandice Vera Lenington

Kandy (Kandice) Lenington, (Klingele) of Lake Havasu City, AZ, passed away July 23rd, in Phoenix, AZ, as a result of complications from a medical procedure. She was born Kandice Vera Klingele to Wally and Dorothy Klingele on July 20, 1947. She was the youngest of three children. She graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1965 and married Tom Billings of Yakima in 1967. She had two daughters, Michelle “Myke” in 1968 and Nicole “Bugs” in 1972. Due to Tom’s career as a State Patrolman, they moved to several different locations in Washington State before eventually settling in Yakima. Kandy’s father (Wally Klingele) was a founding member of the Ridgerunners Jeep Club, hence Kandy and her two older siblings Karen and Butch grew up in the backseat of their dad’s jeep. We spent a lot of time at the “Jeep Bowl” as a family, where we would camp and watch the Jeep races. Kandy’s father also owned a Ski-doo dealership in the beginning years of snowmobiles, so Kandy was an avid snowmobiler participating in many races over the years. Between snowmobiling and holding a black belt in karate, she earned several different trophies for her achievements. She at one point switched from Ski-Doo to Arctic Cat and her dad didn’t speak to her for a couple of years! Jeeping and snowmobiling were taken very seriously in our family, and she knew those mountains like the back of her hand. Her dad sold the first Sea-Doos as well, so occasionally Search and Rescue would contact Wally to assist in efforts to locate someone who had drown. Kandy participated in many rescue missions on the Yakima River. She was also an excellent slalom water skier and was featured in the Yakima Herald once for water skiing behind a jet boat, in April, on the Yakima River. We spent countless summers camping at O’Sullivan lake and riding 3 wheelers in the Moses Lake sand dunes. She made sure her daughters were as fearless as she was when it came to all of our adventures on the lake, in the sand, and in the mountains. Kandy met Howard Lenington, while on a date with his cousin, Lester Lenington. It was “love at first sight” and Howard and Kandy shared over 35 years together. They were very active and had several hobbies; jeeping, snowmobiling, Corvette Club, boating, riding Harleys, and car shows…always with their two daughters in tow. Kandy was bigger than life, and she definitely lived and exuberant one! Eventually, they were blessed with four grandchildren, Tyler, Justin, Maddie and Taylor; a great graddaughter Maddie and she was looking forward to meeting her second great granddaughter in November. Kandy loved being a grandma and she was an amazing one! The grandkids never got bored at grandma’s house. For many years her and Howard had a home in Gleed, WA and a home in Lake Havasu City, AZ. They eventually moved to Lake Havasu permanently where she loved boating and going on adventures with her friends and they converted their garage into a bar, where everyone would gather at least once a week. “Never a dull moment” as she would say! She is survived by her two daughters; Michelle (Myke) Goldsmith and Nikki (Bugs) Kuhlmann. Sister; Karen Klingele, Four grandchildren; Tyler Chapman, Justin Goldsmith, Madelyn Kuhlmann, Taylor Kuhlmann, a great granddaughter; Maddie Mannino and another great granddaughter due in November. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard Lenington, her parents, Wally and Dorothy Klingele, and a brother, Wallace Klingele. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.