Candida E. "Candy" Palmieri

Audubon, NJ - Candida (“Candy”) E. Palmieri passed away on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021 at the age of 71.

Candida was born in Madison, Wisconsin to Valerie and Lucien Palmieri. She received a BA in Geography from Rowan University (magna cum laude) in 1993 and an MA in History from Rutgers University-Camden in 2013. She spent two decades as a teacher in Camden, NJ, where she was known as a thoughtful educator who loved her students and pushed them to reach their full potential. She won several awards and fellowships including Teacher of the Year as well as a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship. After her retirement in 2015, she continued to show her dedication to education by working as a consultant for the New Jersey Education Association. Candida was passionate about creating equity and opportunity for the most marginalized students. She worked with teachers to collect and develop resources that open doors for children to have wonderful life experiences.

A world traveler from an early age, Candida lived in Tanzania with her family for several years in the 1960s before moving to her mother’s home country of England. She returned to the United States in 1980 and settled in Audubon in 1984. Her love of travel and experiencing other cultures continued throughout her life, and her trips included ones to Ireland, Italy, Poland, Russia, Turkey, China, South Korea, and Japan.

Candida was known for her energy, generosity, and passionate nature. In addition to traveling, she loved reading, history, politics, gardening, and baking.

Candida is survived by her daughter Phoebe Kowalewski, her son Matthew Walker, and grandchildren Kayne, Macy, and Mica Walker. She is also survived by many friends, including Lindsay Thivierge, who has been a major source of support and assistance for the family during this dark time.

A memorial will be planned once gatherings and travel are deemed safe again.