Doris Via-Taylor Tells of the Passing of Her Daughter Kandra Annette Lively

Ms. Doris Via-Taylor is pictured with her daughter, Kandra Annette Lively. 

Ms. Doris Via-Taylor is pictured in early 2022 at Faith Temple Church.

   Ms. Doris Via-Taylor, a resident of Piedmont, SC, and a member of Faith Temple, Taylors, SC, spoke at the church on Wed., Jan. 26, 2022, about the passing of her daughter, Kandra (“Kandi”) Annette Lively, at age 17. Kandi “was saved at” and a member of First Baptist Church, Casa, Arkansas.

“In Sept. 1988, I’d had surgery [hysterectomy] and was off work for six weeks,” said Doris, who lived in Casa. “Kandi told me more than one time during that time I was off ‘I’ll be glad when you go back to work, so you can’t see what I’m wearing to school.’ She didn’t dress bad at all. She would have been happy wearing one of Bobby’s extra large shirts and a pair of jeans. She didn’t wear anything that really fitted her. Everything was super big.”

Bobby Via (Doris’ husband) worked at Deltic Farm & Timber, Inc., in Ola, AR. After a 10-hour, 4-day week, he was off work on Friday, Oct. 17, 1988.
 “God has it all timed out perfectly,” Doris said. “Bobby had gone down to his sister’s to drink coffee with her.”

Kandi dropped off Doris at Bobby’s sister’s house, picked up the sister’s daughter, and drove to school. That Friday was “Hobo Day” for seniors — a day seniors could earn money to go toward their senior trip. Kandi earned funds that morning by cleaning a teacher’s house. 

Bobby returned home to work on a chicken pen. Doris drove to Walmart in Morrilton for groceries and to get her paycheck from Levi Strauss. She drove to Ola to make a payment on Kandi’s car. Kandi worked at Petit Jean State Park as a hostess in the restaurant after getting out of school at noon on weekdays. 

“As I returned from Ola, I met her,” Doris said. “She had to go to work that afternoon. I had a carload of groceries and thought, ‘I need to get her to come back home and help me unload these groceries … Well, I can do it myself.’”   

While Doris stored groceries, a neighbor called, but Doris ignored the ringing. The neighbor ran over and told Bobby and his brother-in-law, who were working on the pen, about the wreck.

“Probably less than two miles up the road, one of our neighbor’s sons hit Kandi head-on,” Doris said. “Three teenagers were killed. We got in the car and went up there. They kept me from going to her car, but I had put it all in God’s hands. I don’t know what I thought, but I knew God was in control … and he was.” Doris had two more weeks off from work. Bobby took off a week to help Doris arrange the funeral.

“God’s timing is so down to the minute, down to the second,” Doris said. “He knew I didn’t need to be there by myself that day. He had worked it so Bobby would be there. I’ve never given it a second thought as to what I would have done if he hadn’t been there. … I give God thanks for the 17 years I had her. She and her best friend had joined the Air Force on the delayed-entry program. Her best friend was killed that day, too. I’ve always felt God knew what was ahead of them. The wreck totally turned the community around. But, like many other things, after time, it’s forgotten. Just like 911: everybody was so patriotic when that happened, and then, it just went away.” 

Eight months after Kandi passed, Doris’ mother died. Though sad, her mother’s passing helped take Doris’ mind off Kandi. Eight months after her mother died, Bobby fell 20 feet through the roof at work. 

“That finished his work life,” Doris said. “He was able to do some hobbies around the house, but each day we worked together, things got better and better. I thank God for providing, so many times, something to take my mind off the sad moments. And if we look to him, he will. I love him. I still thank him for the 17 years I had her. My son, Randy, was in Colorado part of those years, but she was there with her mama. And many a night after that, I’d get up and look out in the driveway to see if she’d got home from work yet. When things like that happen — when you go and look and wonder if they’re home yet — then that little prayer of thankfulness comes in, and you can go back to bed and go back to sleep. It hurts bad to lose a child, especially — a child, a spouse, anybody — but I am so thankful for the time I did have her. And I’m thankful for my church family, too. They have prayed me through a lot of situations.”

 

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