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Gundula Hinze McCandless, the light of her family, passed away Apr. 18, but she will live on in the hearts of her loved ones. Gundi was born to Otto and Gertrude Hinze in 1931 and grew up in Gardelegen, East Germany. She graduated from nursing school in Dessau. With some difficulty, she managed to escape to West Germany and was employed at a hospital in Hamburg.
She joined an adventurous group of German nurses and came to Galveston to work at the John Sealy Hospital. There she worked in a Pediatric ward caring for burn children. During this time, she met and subsequently married a medical student, Bob McCandless. The ensuing years were spent in Iowa City while her husband completed an internship and radiology residency. They were blessed with three beautiful daughters; Edda, Tracy, and Claire.