Candy Ball

Nivia "Candy" Ball (née Ramirez) was born in Los Alamitos, CA on February 11, 1961. She passed away suddenly in her sleep on May 27, 2023 surrounded by family. Candy will always be remembered as is a vibrant individual with a personality that brought a warmth to the lives of all those who had the chance to get to know her. Maya Angelou in her brilliance shared "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." In this spirit, her sons now gather to share her legacy with the world:

Not a soul could forget the beaming smile and genuine kindness with which Candy greeted every human she ever crossed paths with. Even from a young age, she was known as someone who was eager to get to know others. She spent time abroad as a nanny and would glow when recounting her memories of long before her children were born. Candy never knew a stranger; from offering missionaries of her LDS faith rides when she saw them on foot, to opening her home to foreign exchange students, she always had a strong maternal instinct and was unyieldingly trusting. Her unparalleled kindness shined through even into her work and brought her recognition and several awards during her work at Walmart as a cashier.

Candy strived to be deeply involved in events within the LDS church of which she was a lifelong member, having been converted to the faith by her friends among the famed Osmond family. Among Candy's happiest moments in life were those she spent with her family. She was truly at home in the water and loved going on family boating excursions over the years. We will never forget her fondness for pointing herself out as an extra in the timeless classic Grease, recounting her experiences and friends made through the Osmond family, and her love for seeing each of the LDS temples. Most days, she loved nothing more than to laze around and enjoy quality time with family. She'll be forever remembered as the first person to offer anyone a hug.

Her sons now claim the few wins of once getting her to play Cards Against Humanity and converting her to medium-well steak as opposed to whatever other food category a well-done steak falls into. Candy loved nothing more than getting "a quick bite to eat" with her sons; she loved her McChickens and orange Hi-C from McDonalds and they'll never understand how our full Latina mother found the regular McChickens "too spicy". In the end, it was really her that won because we'll now forever travel out of our way to eat at a Hard Rock Café and spend the rest of our lives excitedly shouting "look at the moos!" whenever we see cows in a field.

Candy is survived by her three extant sons, Jaxsen, Justin and Jarrett, and granddaughters Aurora and Ariella, but will be forever remembered by her niece Destiny, her lifelong best friend Doreen, daughter-in-law Katlynn, her extended family throughout California, Panama, and Peru, and the countless others whose lives she has touched for the better. She will be joining her parents Zenobio "Leo" Ramirez and Nivia Ramirez Paredes, her daughter Janay', and her son Joshua who passed before her.

We, her sons, now mourn as we learn to live without the first person we came into this world knowing. We may never be as unyieldingly fearless in opening up to strangers as you were mom, but we will do our best to honor you and to let your warm sense of community live on within each of us. We can only hope that you will be proud of us in our attempts to make this world a better place.