Charles  Patrice

Charles Sylvester Canady Jr. and Patrice Renae Becker have known each other since childhood. Yet for much of their lives, they did not see or interact with each other. It is a story of PERFECT TIMING, a perfect love story that only God could have crafted. This is the love story of Charles and Patrice, and it centers on a person they both cherished: Charles David Canady Sr.

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Affectionately known as “Coach Canady” to Patrice, Charles Sr. coached the City of Atlanta Dolphins for over 35 years.  In the late 90s, His son Charles Jr, or “CJ,” was a thriving and aspiring member of that team. Around 1999, as the team continued to grow and add new members, a family of 6 children signed up for the swimming program at the old M.L. King Aquatic Center in downtown Atlanta. With 5 girls and 1 boy, this was a family of talented, athletic kids destined to have an immediate impact on the team. The oldest of the 6 was a beautiful yet fierce ten-year-old named Patrice. 

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CJ, being an equally talented ten-year-old powerhouse for the team, was immediately taken by Patrice’s beauty and grace in the pool. In February of 2001, he made his interest known by sliding her a letter while in the stands at the annual Black History Meet in Washington, DC - “Do you want to be my girlfriend?” to which Patrice decided to respond in person and in kind. Their young relationship blossomed over the next 2 years, even leading to their first kiss. After a few years, the Becker family left the swim team. It would be the last time CJ would regularly interact with Patrice for the next 22 years. While they would stay connected through social media, they both had paths laid before them that would not bring them back together until God saw fit to do so.

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After two decades of life filled with challenges they both faced and lessons learned throughout time, tragedy struck in the form of a retired and thriving 70-year-old Charles Sr. getting a cancer diagnosis. After a few years of battling and various treatments, the situation turned for the worse, leaving a debilitated and somewhat discouraged man in need of positive spirits and encouragement. CJ was then inspired to contact as many former members of the swim team as possible, asking them to create video messages to help uplift and motivate his downtrodden father. One of the former members who responded to this request was Patrice. 

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Even with the uplifting encouragement and motivation from videos made by Patrice and many other former swimmers, eventually God’s will led to Coach Canady being called home on July 7th, 2025. Yet, in this time of agony and loss, the spark of reconnection was the catalyst for what would become a rekindled, renewed relationship. Patrice, having lost her father a few years before, saw the opportunity to reach out and support CJ during his loss in a way others could not relate to.

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At the memorial service, Patrice had the opportunity to hear CJ and Charles Sr.’s long-time pastor, Dr. Thomas H. Vinson, deliver his eulogy.  The message moved Patrice so much that she was inspired to visit the church the very next day. She reached out directly to CJ to let him know that she was visiting, and they made plans to connect after the service. As CJ walked into the lobby of his hometown church, what he expected to be a simple moment of catching up with an old friend and teammate turned out to be the very moment God said “...It’s Time.” It didn’t take long for him to reach out and make his intentions known to the woman he’s loved from afar his whole life, but hasn’t been able to embrace until God’s timing both ensured that they were ready and created the opportunity.

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It didn’t take long for CJ to realize that this was the woman God wanted him to marry. He began planning an elaborate and thoughtful proposal in November of 2025. He knew that he wanted to ask her to marry him the same day that he asked her to be his girlfriend years ago, on February 14th, and he knew he wanted the moment to happen in a place that signified where they first met years ago, and honored the man whose impact on both their lives brought them together - Charles Sr. On February 14th, 2026, CJ asked Patrice to marry him in front of friends and family, just outside of the newly renovated M.L. King Aquatic Center.​​

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"It was done God's way, in God's timing... and it was perfect."

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